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Downing Street Has promised action to resolve ban on Israeli club fans Maccabi Tel Aviv attending next month Europa League on the game Aston Villaas soon as it came out Government Warnings were raised about the proposals last week.
Number 10 has said discussions are taking place “rapidly across government” to lift the ban on supporters attending the match at Villa Park on November 6.
Authorities in Birmingham are facing increasing pressure to overturn the ban, with the Government taking the step on Thursday evening.
However, ministers are facing fresh questions after the UK Football Policing Unit said the Home Office was briefed “last week” that a “ban on fans visiting” could be one of the measures taken to control the fixture.
Senior officers in the unit supported the ban, saying that it was “important that we respect and support the structures that are in place to make these decisions”.
It is understood the Home Office was told a ban was being considered, but no decision was made and the Home Secretary was not informed of the final decision until it was made public on Thursday night.
Talks aimed at overturning the ban have included the Home Office offering assistance to police in Birmingham and a phone call between Communities Secretary Steve Reid and Birmingham City Council.
Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is “meeting with officials to discuss what more can be done to find a way to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend games safely”, a Number 10 spokeswoman said.
He said: “You can expect to hear further updates today. I wouldn’t preempt conversations, but these are happening increasingly with all relevant groups, across government, to find a way to resolve this.”
The spokesperson also said, “The Prime Minister is unhappy with this decision.” He added, “While this is of course an operational decision, we are fully entitled to speak on basic principles of fairness in this manner.”
He said: “The Prime Minister will do everything possible to give Jewish communities the protection they deserve and, as he has made clear, we think this is the wrong decision.”
The Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv match was classified as high risk by West Midlands Police based on “current intelligence and past incidents”.
The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime crimes that took place during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi in Amsterdam.
Birmingham’s Security Advisory Group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, has faced widespread criticism from across the political spectrum for its decision to enforce the ban.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster called on Birmingham council officials and West Midlands Police to review the decision.
The review will “determine whether this decision and recommendation are an appropriate, necessary, fair, reasonable and proportionate means of achieving legitimate aims”, he said.
Richard Parker, Labor mayor of the West Midlands, suggested the government could fund policing costs if restrictions were lifted.
He wrote on social media: “Whilst I respect West Midlands Police, if the Government is willing to support in terms of resources then the decision that has been made must be reviewed.”
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January, and who supports Maccabi and Tottenham, was among those criticizing the ban.
She said: “I wonder what has really become of British society. It’s like putting a big sign outside a stadium: ‘No Jews allowed’.”
“What has happened to Britain where blatant anti-Semitism has become the norm? What a sad world we live in.”
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa’s Jewish Villains Supporters’ Club, said on BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the decision to ban fans of the Israeli side is “a political message rather than a security message” and that “there is no evidence of Maccabi fans being particularly violent”.
UEFA, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to ensure Maccabi fans can attend the event.
Maccabi chief executive Jack Angelides said he did not want to make security issues lightly, but told the BBC the team has traveled to places such as Turkey, where he said the sentiment “is not so kind towards Israeli teams”, but the police “were out in force” and there were no incidents.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to get involved if the police did not reverse their decision to ban Maccabi supporters.
He said the Prime Minister needs to show that he has backbone and is not so weak that he will allow the Jewish people here to be terrorized.
Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee, has written to the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police seeking an explanation of the decision.
“The move to ban fans from attending matches at Villa Park next month is extremely worrying and contrary to the principle that football in this country is for all,” Dinenage said.
“The police need to talk openly about how and why they came to the decision that restrictions are the only way to guarantee public safety, and whether there is any way to reverse this extremely regrettable situation.”