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There are increasingly discussions “across the government” to resolve the ban on fans. Israel club Maccabi Tel Aviv from next month Europa League Aston Villa, said the game in Downing Street.
sir prime minister keir starmer Wants to do “everything in its power” to ensure Jewish A Number 10 spokesman said: “People in Britain feel safe.
Pressure is mounting on Birmingham officials to lift a ban on fans coming to watch the match at Villa Park on November 6.
Downing Street said the Home Office was talking to police in Birmingham to support them.
But senior officers from the UK Football Policing Unit supported the ban, saying it was “vital that we respect and support the structures in place to make these decisions”.
The unit said the Home Office had been briefed “last week” about “potential issues” with visiting fans and the possibility of restrictions being imposed.
Number 10 told reporters that talks aimed at overturning the ban began on Thursday night, and included a phone call between Communities Secretary Steve Reid and Birmingham City Council.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, meanwhile, is “meeting with officials to discuss what more can be done to find a way to resolve this, and to allow fans to safely attend games”, a No 10 spokesman 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 has been classified as high risk by West Midlands Police based on “current intelligence and past incidents”.
The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crimes that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv 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 Villa Park match.
Maccabi chief executive Jack Angelides said he did not want to make security issues lightly, but told the BBC that 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 “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 Sir Keir “needs to show that he has a spine and is not so weak that he will allow Jewish people to be terrorized here”.