LONDON: British officials said Friday they were working to reverse a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans attending a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month because of security concerns, a decision that drew condemnation from politicians, sports organizations and Jewish groups.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police recommendation to bar the visiting team’s fans from the Nov. 6 game was “the wrong decision,” and European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, urged British authorities to ensure the Israeli team’s fans could go to the match.
“UEFA wants fans to be able to travel and support their team in a safe, secure and welcoming environment, and encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen,” it said in a statement.
Ian Murray, a minister in the department for culture, media and sport, said the government “will do everything we possibly can to resolve this issue.” He said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy “will be meeting with the Home Office and other stakeholders today to try and see if there’s a way through this.”
Aston Villa said in a statement that police had informed the club that “they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.”
West Midlands Police said it had deemed the match at Villa Park in Birmingham, central England, to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents,” including violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax in Amsterdam last season.
The fan ban was swiftly criticized by Starmer, who said “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
The game at Villa Park will be Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first away match in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece when the club played PAOK on Sept. 24.
About 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that game and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans clashed violently with city residents in Amsterdam last season when the team visited for a Europa League game against Ajax.
UEFA had been weighing a vote to suspend Israeli teams from its competitions before that was overtaken this month by the ceasefire in Gaza.
Maccabi Tel Aviv chief executive Jack Angelides, expressed “dismay about what this potentially is signaling.”
“I don’t use this term lightly but people ask, ‘What does antisemitism look like?’ And it’s often manifested as part of a process … in other words small events leading up to something that’s more sinister,” he told the BBC.
