Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept Villa tickets

Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will not accept any ticket allocation from Aston Villa should the decision to ban their supporters from next month's Europa League match be overturned.

Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) - the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches - last week informed Villa no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in the city on 6 November.

The decision was widely condemned, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy pledging that the government will "find the resources" to allow Maccabi fans to attend earlier on Monday.

But Maccabi Tel Aviv now say supporters will not travel for safety reasons - that "a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt".

A club statement said, external: "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."

A government spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so."

They added it was "completely unacceptable" that the match has been "weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us".

"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."

On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as "high risk" based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including "violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between " Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam." The FARE Network, which reports on discrimination for Uefa, told PA that it was "reluctant to question" the police risk assessment.

Nandy said ministers were working together to fund any necessary policing operation to allow away fans to attend, and the SAG would review the decision if West Midlands Police changed its risk assessment.

Nandy said the matter was wider than matchday security, adding it came "against the backdrop of rising antisemitism here and across the world, and an attack on a synagogue in Manchester in which two innocent men were killed".

On Sunday, the Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off, after what police described as "public disorder and violent riots".

Maccabi say the decision to call that game off was not down to their supporters and thanked the UK government for its efforts.

They said: "We believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart.

"Our fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behaviour is an attempt to distort reality.

"We acknowledge the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely, and are grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community."

Aston Villa previously told their matchday stewards they did not have to work at the Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture, saying they understood some "may have concerns".

Following Thursday's announcement by the club about the impending fixture, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move "wrong" and said: "We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets."

Over recent days, local safety officials in Birmingham had been under mounting pressure from government and beyond to reverse their hugely controversial decision to ban Maccabi's fans from next month's match against Aston Villa.

However, this surprise move by the Israeli club has taken the decision out of their hands, removing the need for any u-turn later this week, and avoiding the potential for an escalating dispute with the government. For many, rarely in recent years has a football match in England felt so politicised, and there will now be questions over what intelligence the ban of Maccabi's fans was based on, whether the controversy could have been avoided, and the relationship between the Birmingham police and the government.

For those reluctant to question West Midlands Police's original assessment that the fixture was "high-risk", this development may well come as a major relief.

But others will see it as highly regrettable, and embarrassing to the UK, that Maccabi Tel Aviv do not feel it is safe enough for their fans to attend the match, and that it sets a worrying precedent.

Even without Maccabi fans present, there will still be intense scrutiny on the local authorities' handling of the club's visit to Villa Park, in a year in which protests have sometimes accompanied sports events involving Israeli teams.

And there may also be questions over Birmingham's hosting of future international sports events, ahead of the 2026 European Athletics Championships and the Uefa European championships in 2028.