Aston Villa are slated to take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in matchday four of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) in the league phase at Villa Park in Birmingham on Thursday, November 6. Just three weeks before the big
clash, Aston Villa confirmed that the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) in the city of Birmingham made the decision to ban the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending it due to concerns surrounding the safety of both sets of fans.
The surprising decision has had resistance on many levels, not only on the sporting but the political world, which has made the United Kingdom (UK) government to try and work out a solution with the police to ensure the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attend the match next month. It is important to remember that while the British MP Ayoub Khan declared his support for the decision from the SAG, the UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the decision, calling it wrong.
UK government is doing everything in its power to get the necessary permit for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans
As per the latest report from BBC Sport on the matter, the UK government is doing everything in its power to get the necessary permit to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv fans get to watch their team play, exploring additional resources that could be allotted for the match. The spokesperson of the government was quoted as saying on the matter, “No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are.”
The Birmingham City Council have stated that the SAG, who advises them on issuing safety certificates, will review their decision if the West Midlands Police changes its risk assessment for the match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. It was on Thursday, October 16, when the police had classified the contest as “high risk” on the basis of intelligence provided to them and the previous incidents involving Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in European competitions.
There were incidents of violent clashes and hate crime offences during November 2024 between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax fans before their UEL clash last season.
