MACCABI Tel Aviv will decline any tickets offered to their fans for a Europa League away match at Aston Villa.
The Israeli club announced this decision on Monday following a Safety Advisory Group’s block on visiting fans attending the November 6 match.
That initial decision drew widespread political criticism including from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The British government said Friday it was working to allow Israeli fans to attend.
Maccabi Tel Aviv stated that the wellbeing and safety of their fans is paramount.
The club explained their decision stems from hard lessons learned about fan safety.
They hope circumstances will change allowing them to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment soon.
This announcement came just one day after Israeli police called off Maccabi’s domestic match against Hapoel due to fan riots.
Maccabi insisted their supporters were not involved in that domestic unrest.
The club questioned the motivation of those leading calls for a ban on away fans.
They acknowledged UK government and police efforts to ensure both sets of fans could attend safely.
Maccabi expressed gratitude for messages of support from across the football community.
Their statement highlighted their diverse squad including Muslim, Christian and Jewish players.
The club emphasised their fan base crosses ethnic and religious divides.
They noted working tirelessly to stamp out racism within more extreme fan elements.
Maccabi claimed various entrenched groups seek to malign their fan base.
They accused these groups of exploiting isolated incidents for social and political ends.
The club stated hate-filled falsehoods have created a toxic atmosphere.
They expressed serious doubts about their fans’ safety if they attended.
A British government spokesperson said they were deeply saddened by Maccabi’s decision.
The spokesperson respected the club’s right to decline the ticket allocation.
They called it completely unacceptable that the game was weaponised to stoke violence.
The government vowed never to tolerate antisemitism or extremism on British streets.
UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Parliament the final decision must be made by police.
She said the country should be appalled by the initial risk assessment.
Nandy noted the assessment was based partly on risks to fans because they are Israeli and Jewish.
West Midlands Police classified the fixture as high risk last week.
Their decision was based on current intelligence and previous incidents.
They referenced violent clashes during Maccabi’s 2024 match against Ajax in Amsterdam.
Birmingham has hosted numerous pro-Palestinian rallies since the Gaza war began.
Some British left-wing and Green politicians backed the ban on away fans.
Several called for wider exclusion of Israeli teams from international competitions.
This follows a recent attack on a Manchester synagogue where two Jewish men died.
Police linked that attack to Islamist extremism. – AFP
