LONDON: British police concluded that traveling Maccabi Tel Aviv fans represented the biggest potential threat of violence at their team’s match against Aston Villa next month.
The police assessment was a factor in the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli team from attending the Europa League game in Birmingham on Nov. 6.
The decision last week — which Aston Villa said followed “an instruction” from Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group based on the advice of West Midlands Police — sparked controversy, including accusations of antisemitism and criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Details of the police intelligence report and risk assessments have not been publicly shared but The Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday that it was the Maccabi fans themselves that were the main source of concern, rather than the possibility that their supporters would be targeted by others.
Sources told the newspaper that West Midlands Police had learned scores of Maccabi fans with a history of violence and racism were expected to travel to the game. Dutch police told their British counterparts that Maccabi fans had instigated violence at a match in Amsterdam last year, randomly attacking Muslims.
UK police feared that any trouble started by the Israeli fans might spark wider clashes and reprisal attacks.
“The biggest risk was always the extreme Maccabi fans who want to fight,” a source with knowledge of the assessments told The Guardian. The police assessment was shared with the UK’s football policing unit, which backed its conclusions, the newspaper added.
Concern about the behavior of Maccabi fans was so great that at least 1,500 extra riot police would have had to be mobilized from across the country at a cost of £6 million ($8 million).
Starmer described the decision as “wrong” and said Britain would not tolerate antisemitism on its streets.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation,” he said, amid calls for the ban to be overturned.
But it now appears the decision was made based on the checkered history of the Israeli fans themselves, which includes regular racist and anti-Arab chants, rather than concerns about their safety.
Maccabi’s scheduled match on Sunday against Hapoel in Tel Aviv was canceled before kickoff after violence erupted.
Maccabi announced on Monday they would not sell tickets for the Aston Villa match to their fans.
