The Government has said it is “deeply saddened” that Maccabi Tel Aviv have rejected their away allocation for their Europa League clash with Aston Villa.
The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) last week blocked visiting fans from attending the tie against Villa on November 6 after a risk assessment by West Midlands Police – that decision that drew immediate criticism from politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Earlier on Monday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the decision to bar supporters “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people. They had attempted to take measures but the Israeli outfit have still opted against sending fans to the game.
A Government spokesperson said: “The Government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle, that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.
“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so. It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us. We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.”
That comes after Maccabi communicated their thoughts with a statement on Monday night, saying they had “learned hard lessons” and they hoped to play in Birmingham in the “near future”.
It read: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
West Midlands Police last week deemed the fixture as “high risk”. They said the decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, claimed that there had been “a deliberate, disingenuous move by many to make this a matter of banning Jews, to conflate matters of policing with those of religion”.