The Government will “provide what is necessary” to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv
fans can attend next month’s Europa League game against Aston Villa.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said blocking away fans from the game at Villa Park on November 6 was “very difficult to justify” after local authorities announced the Israeli team’s fans would be barred amid safety concerns.
Later in the Commons, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said resources will not be a blocker on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the match, and that the Government was working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to “consider all the options available”, in a bid to “ensure fans” from both teams can attend.
It comes after the Tel Aviv derby between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday following violent clashes between supporters. Police said 12 people and three officers were injured.
Following the disorder, Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Ayoub Khan described fans of Maccabi as “hooligans, people who show no mercy” and demanded Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer apologise for his criticism of the ban.
“We think [it] is very difficult to justify and very difficult to accept and that football fans shouldn’t be unable to attend games for fear of what that might cause more widely,” Phillipson told Sky News.
Asked what ministers were doing to overturn the ban, she said: “The Government will do what we can to ensure that the relevant authorities have got the resources they need… We will provide what is necessary alongside the other relevant authorities in order to ensure that fans can attend.
“I think it’s unacceptable to have ended up in a position where away fans are unable to attend for the reasons that have been cited and therefore we have a role to play, but other relevant authorities in the West Midlands will also be taking this into account.”
Nandy added in the Commons: “Following the decision last week, the Government has been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to support them to consider all the options available, and to tell us what resources are needed to manage the risks, to ensure fans from both teams can attend safely.
“If the assessment is revised, the safety advisory group will meet again to discuss options.”
Nandy also said: “It is not for the Government to assess the risks surrounding this football match, but we are clear that resources will not be the determining factor in whether Maccabi Tel Aviv fans can be admitted, and that this fundamental principle that nobody in our country will be excluded from participating in public life because of who they are must be upheld.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman added that the UK Football Policing Unit were “reaching out to their Israeli counterparts” to understand why Tel Aviv derby was cancelled and reiterated they government’s desire to “ensure all fans” can enjoy the game at Villa Park.
Sky News understands Maccabi Tel Aviv will not sell tickets to fans for Aston Villa match after safety concerns
Local authorities had said last week that Maccabi fans would be blocked from attending the game in Birmingham, with West Midlands Police classifying the fixture as high-risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Sir Keir called the move to bar fans attending “wrong” and said “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”, while the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK also criticised the decision.
On Sunday, Israeli police said the Tel Aviv derby in the Israeli Premier League match should not take place as scheduled after trouble flared prior to kick-off in and around the Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared between Hapoel and Maccabi.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Birmingham MP Khan said: “Shame on you Keir Starmer and shame on you Kemi Badenoch and all the other politicians and news anchors that sought to conflate matters… this was never about religion, it was always about hooliganism.”
He demanded the Prime Minister apologise to the chief constable of the West Midlands, Craig Guildford, adding: “It is shameful that not a single politician here in Birmingham bar me stood by his decision.”
The Government is expecting West Midlands Police to set out early next week what they would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present.
Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, is expected to raise the issue at a meeting early this week.