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Israeli football team fans Maccabi Tel Aviv remained Banned from attending Europa League games against Aston Villa On security concerns.
The Premier League club shared the decision to ban supporters came from Birmingham City’s Security Advisory Group (SAG), which oversees security certifications for matches at the Villa Park stadium.
The call, which would have prevented more than 1,000 supporters from attending the match, has been criticized By sir keir starmerJoe believes that the role of the police is “to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation”.
While Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch However, he strongly rejected the decision and termed it a “national disgrace”. West Midlands Police Supporting the move highlighted how sustainability is at “high risk”.
So how did we get here and why is the decision so controversial?
The decision comes after violent clashes and hate crime crimes surrounding last year’s UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, which the Eredivisie side won 5-0.
Pro-Palestinian supporters and Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv clash in the Dutch capital. The Amsterdam police chief said that Maccabi supporters attacked a taxi the day before the match and set fire to a Palestinian flag, as well as chanting anti-Palestinian slogans on the day of the match. The clashes led to dozens of arrests, while five people were jailed.
Allegations of anti-Semitic attacks have been made soon after the 6–7 November clashes. Amsterdam mayor Femke Halsema claimed that these events caused “a dark night and a dark day” for the city, claiming that anti-Semitic “criminals” attacked Jewish visitors and “hit them and ran away”.
So why is the decision to ban fans controversial?
European football’s governing body UEFA told Reuters that competent local authorities are responsible for decisions on fan safety.
Some supporters have reacted negatively to the decision, saying it will affect the atmosphere, while former Aston Villa Supporters Trust director Jonny Gould says he “doesn’t want politics in the business of football”.
While according to Maccabi Tel Aviv president Jack Angelides, the more serious impact of the decision is how it could set a precedent for how events proceed.
“To be honest, there’s been some disappointment about what this potentially indicates,” he told Radio 4. Today show. “I think this is an extremely important moment because of what it means. I don’t use this word lightly but people ask: ‘What does antisemitism look like?’ “And it often appears as part of a process – a process, in other words, small events that add up to something bigger.”
so what happens now?
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Home Office officials are meeting on Friday to see whether they can overturn the decision, according to Ian Murray, the minister who covers the government’s culture and science portfolios.
Mr Murray told Sky News: “The Prime Minister and the Government are clear about this. In fact, almost every politician is clear about this.
“This is completely and utterly unacceptable, and the Prime Minister has said we will make every effort to resolve this issue. This is an operational issue for the police, and the Government does not get involved in operational issues for the police.”
While West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has called on the police and Birmingham City Council’s security advisory group to immediately review the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, and conclude whether the move is “appropriate, necessary, fair, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving legitimate aims”.