Maccabi Tel Aviv has announced that they will decline any tickets offered to their fans for the upcoming Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The Israeli club cited concerns over fan safety and a "toxic atmosphere" surrounding the match as the primary reasons for their decision. This decision stands regardless of whether a previous ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, imposed by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), is overturned.
The initial decision by the local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to block visiting fans from attending the November 6th match followed a risk assessment conducted by West Midlands Police. This decision immediately drew criticism from various political figures, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The government had been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to ensure fans from both Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv could attend the fixture. Downing Street stated that the UK Football Policing Unit was reaching out to Israeli authorities to understand why a recent Israeli Premier League match between Hapoel and Maccabi was called off due to reported trouble before kick-off.
Maccabi Tel Aviv released a statement explaining their decision, emphasizing the paramount importance of the well-being and safety of their fans. The club stated that "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". They expressed hope that circumstances would change in the future, allowing them to play in Birmingham in a safe sporting environment.
The club also acknowledged the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure that both sets of fans could attend the match safely and expressed gratitude for the messages of support received from the football community and society. Maccabi Tel Aviv highlighted the diversity within their team and fanbase, stating that their "first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide". They also mentioned their continuous work to eliminate racism within the more extreme segments of their fanbase.
Maccabi Tel Aviv believes that certain groups are attempting to tarnish the reputation of their fan base by exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political agendas. The club emphasized that the majority of their fans have "no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind". The statement questioned the motives of those seeking to justify the ban.
Prior to this decision, there was an outcry regarding the initial ban, and the UK government explored what "additional resources and support are required" to allow all fans to attend. The Tel Aviv side's decision means their supporters will not be able to buy tickets, irrespective of any overturning of the current ban on attendance.
The decision follows an incident on Sunday night where "violent riots" led to the cancellation of Maccabi's match against local rival Hapoel in Tel Aviv, where nine people were arrested. The club clarified that the issues are not restricted to Israeli football, and they are problems that the sport has been grappling with worldwide, including in the UK.
