UK Authorities Call for ‘Immediate Review’ of Local Ban on Israeli Soccer Fans Amid Government Outrage

The police and crime commissioner of the West Midlands Police (WMP) force in the United Kingdom has called for an “immediate review” of a decision to ban fans of the Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending the club’s UEFA Europa League game against Aston Villa next month following outrage from British government officials.

Simon Foster said he is requesting an urgent reassessment of the decision, made by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), to determine “whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable, and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim,” which is to ensure the safety and security of those attending the match on Nov. 6 at Villa Park in Birmingham. “That must include consideration, of all and any suitable, alternative options,” he added.

Foster concluded by saying that any decision or recommendation about the Nov. 6 match is ultimately a matter for the SAG to determine alongside the “independent, objective, and impartial operational policing judgement” of WMP.

Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans will not be allowed to attend the match at Villa Park in Birmingham because of security concerns, and the move has drawn condemnation from government officials in Israel and the UK, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” Starmer wrote on X. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Aston Villa said on Thursday that the decision was made by the SAG, a body comprised of several professional authorities responsible for issuing safety certificates for events at Villa Park. The SAG informed the club and UEFA that no away fans would be allowed to attend the game, the team noted.

“Following a meeting this afternoon, the SAG have formally written to the club and [European soccer body] UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend Villa Park for this fixture,” Aston Villa 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.”

The team added that it was in “continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision.”

West Midlands Police said on Thursday it supports the SAG’s decision, and that police classified the match as “high risk” after “a thorough assessment.”

“This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offenses that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam,” the police force said in a released statement. “Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety.”

A spokesperson for Downing Street said there are talks “at pace, across government” to resolve the issue regarding the ban against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

“Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is meeting officials to discuss what more can be done to try and find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safely,” the spokesperson said, as cited by the BBC. “The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, Steve Reed, spoke to the local council this morning, and the Home Office is urgently working to support police to try and find a way through this.”

The UK’s Conservative Party Leader Kemi Badenoch said the ban was a “national disgrace” and called on Starmer to “guarantee that Jewish fans can walk into any football stadium in this country.” Conservative MP Matt Vickers criticized the move as “utterly outrageous” while MP for the Liberal Democrat party Ed Davey demanded that the ban be reversed “as soon as possible” and said, “It’s completely wrong to tackle antisemitism by banning its victims.” Reform UK leader and MP Nigel Farage wrote on X: “This takes racial discrimination to a whole new level.”

The British nongovernmental organization Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) told the Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police that it intends to bring a judicial review over the decision. “Our lawyers are writing to the council and police in accordance with the pre-action protocol for judicial review,” CAA wrote in a statement on X. “Police forces and local councils must do whatever it takes to ensure that Britain is safe for everyone … We will do whatever it takes to overturn this pernicious ban which has humiliated and angered the whole country.”

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the ban as a “shameful decision” and called on UK officials to reverse the “coward” move against Israeli soccer fans.

Ian Austin, the UK’s trade envoy to Israel, said he was “appalled” by the ban and called on police to review the decision.

“It looks like they have capitulated to a campaign by trouble-makers and abdicated their responsibility to ensure people can go about their lawful business safely,” he said. “Birmingham is a great international city. It welcomes visitors from all over the world, and they must be able to come in safely. International sport is one of our most important exports and this has major implications for fixtures in the future.”

In November 2024, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were violently attacked by fans of the Dutch soccer team Ajax followed a European League match between the two teams in Amsterdam. During the premeditated and coordinated violence, Maccabi fans were chased with knives and sticks in the streets, run over by cars, physically beaten, and forced by their attackers to say, “Free Palestine.” Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema called the attackers “antisemitic hit-and-run squads” who went “Jew hunting.”