Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from match
ast year, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were ambushed and violently attacked by organised gangs in Amsterdam.
(TIMES OF ISRAEL) Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans will not be allowed to attend a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month because of security concerns, the English club announced last week, drawing condemnation from Israel as well as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The move comes after there were anti-Israel protests in recent days at the Israeli national team’s World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Italy, with police using tear gas on protesters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Oslo and Udine. Last year, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv were ambushed and violently attacked by organised gangs in Amsterdam following a match against Ajax.
Ahead of the November 6 game, Aston Villa said it was following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), a body responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park, based on a number of physical and safety factors.
“Following a meeting this afternoon, the SAG have formally written to the club and [European football body] UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend Villa Park for this fixture,” it said in a statement.
“West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.”
Local police said on Thursday they had classified the game as “high risk” following a “thorough assessment.” Maccabi Tel Aviv did not appear to have commented on the ban, but several Israeli, British and Jewish leaders condemned the announcement.
“This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” Starmer said on X.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described Villa’s announcement as a “shameful decision” on X.
Police cancelled Sunday’s much-anticipated derby match between Tel Aviv’s rival soccer teams Hapoel and Maccabi after riots broke out in and around the stadium, wounding at least four people. Three police officers and a boy, 13, were lightly wounded, as rioters threw objects and hurled flares and smoke bombs onto the field. Some 30,000 spectators had to evacuate the stadium, Channel 12 reported.
Describing the events, a police spokesman said what happened was “not a soccer game” but “a disturbance of public order and serious violence”.
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