Ahead of the highly controversial clash between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa League (UEL), the pre-match protests with demonstrations took place outside the Villa Park in Birmingham,
leading to 11 arrests made by the police after deploying more than 700 officers. The controversial nature of the match stemmed from the fact that Aston Villa made an announcement last month about not allowing Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to watch their team play at the Villa Park in the aftermath of the Israel-Gaza war.
The aforementioned decision was taken for Aston Villa by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group due to the intelligence from West Midlands Police. With no change in stance from the Premier League club in the build-up to the UEL match, the protests were expected around the Villa Park, for which the police were well prepared for, to ensure the security of each and everyone in and around the venue.
As per the report published by BBC, a lot of pro-Palestinian supporters waved banners and flags outside the Villa Park for the Gaza cause while a few pro-Israeli campaigners marched towards the stadium due to the ban on the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to watch their team play in person. Ch Supt Tom Joyce said, “We police football matches a lot. We police protests a lot. We deal with all sorts of public order scenarios, but certainly the level of interest, the level of concern around this match is pretty unprecedented.”
Aston Villa defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 in UEFA Europa League clash
Moreover, the West Midlands Police stated that out of the 11 arrests made during the protests, five were suspected to have committed racially aggravated public order offences. As far as the UEL contest was concerned, Aston Villa managed to register a 2-0 win over Maccabi Tel Aviv with goals from Ian Maasten and Donyal Malen, which were scored either side of the half to propel the club to sixth place in the standings with nine points in four matches.
With there being no return leg between these two clubs in the UEL due to the changes made in tournament format last year, the controversy is expected to fade away in a few days time.
