Anti-discrimination network ‘reluctant to question’ Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban
A network which reports discriminatory incidents to UEFA says it is “reluctant to question” the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from next month’s Europa League match away to Aston Villa, claiming supporters of the Israeli club are “well known for their racism”.
A local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) has barred Maccabi fans from attending the match at Villa Park on safety grounds, amid concerns about the potential for disorder and protest at the November 6 fixture related to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine.
The SAG’s decision has been heavily criticised by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and a spokesman for No 10 said on Friday that discussions to overturn the ban were happening “at pace”.
High risk
The fixture has been classified high risk by West Midlands Police based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
The force pointed to 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 sends reports on discriminatory incidents at national team and club matches around Europe to UEFA, said it could not disagree with the SAG’s assessment and said in a statement released to the PA news agency: “Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are well known for their racism. In the past year they have been the biggest perpetrators of racism in Israeli football.
“In Europe, their away supporters bring many of the same poisonous chants and messages, which leads to them being scrutinised.
“A number of police sources and local authorities have raised concerns about their presence in cities before and after European club matches – Amsterdam have now banned them and there were some concerns raised in Malta recently, and so given the expertise of the West Midlands Police in managing football matches, the risk assessments that they are likely to have undertaken, we would be reluctant to question their approach.”
Multiple referrals
It is understood Fare has made multiple referrals concerning discriminatory behaviour by Maccabi fans to UEFA in the last 10 years, while the reference in the statement to Maccabi being the “biggest perpetrators” of racism in their domestic football is understood to be based on reports in the Israeli media, seen by Fare, that 77 racist chants by Maccabi fans were recorded last season.
Maccabi have been contacted for comment, but have not yet responded to Fare’s statement concerning their fans.
The Prime Minister has been “angered” by the decision to bar Maccabi fans, his spokesman said on Friday, adding: “While of course this is an operational decision, we are perfectly entitled to speak out on fundamental principles of fairness like this.
“The Prime Minister will do everything in his power to give Jewish communities the security they deserve and, as he has made clear, we think this is the wrong decision.”
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January, and who supports Maccabi Tel Aviv and Tottenham, was among those who criticised the ban.
She said: “I do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying: ‘No Jews allowed’.
“What has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.”
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They should ban the team as well😡
It’s ridiculous that an Israeli team is allowed to play international sport in the first place.
Why the double standards of a ban on Russia but not Israel.
Imagine if South African Rugby teams were continually allowed to compete in the UK,if that was the case apartheid would have never ended in South Africa.
Already Zionists are playing their anti semitism card over this and no doubt Sir Kid Starver will pander to the Zionist lobby within the Labour Party.
There’s no double standards – one (Russia) is a brutal dictatorship that murders its opponents at home and abroad and has illegaly invaded and occupied another sovereign country (Ukraine). Israel is a democracy in which Arabs have not only been elected to the Knesset since 1949 but they have also been members of govt’s in Israel (so much for it being a apartheid state). You presumably also have missed the mass demonstrations in Israel against netanyahu and his appalling attacks on Gaza? People who protest against Putin in Russia are jailed and ‘disappeared’.
Israel is an apartheid state because those Israeli Arabs are second class citizens, which do not have the right to buy property in most areas of Israel. They have to stay in their designated area. There is a case before the International Criminal Court for breaches of the Apartheid treaty. Israel has illegally invaded and occupied the Palestinian territories since 1967. Israel has invaded and occupied Syria. Israel has invaded Lebanon. Israel has bombed Iran. Israel has bombed Qatar. Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza Israel has committed murders in Lebanon. Remember them planting explosives in pagers that was… Read more »
So Israel is a democracy is it! Then how come the Palestinian Population in the occupied territories have no representation in the Knesset. Even Apartheid South Africa classed itself as a democracy just because it had an upper chamber reserved for Coloured and Indian MPs. The circumstances of Russia and Israel are poles apart as Since the breakup of the Soviet Union Russia has violated nowhere near the UN resolutions as opposed to Israel. Yes I am well aware thank you that not all Israelis and Jews are Zionists. You presumably have missed the fact that many Jewish people attend… Read more »
The UK is unsafe for Jewish people, football fans and football players. It is a sad thing to say, but, with antisemitism so rife, the game should be moved to another country. I genuinely fear for the lives of the fans but also for the players – a Munich 72 scenario is highly possible in the current climate.
Its certainly a bizarre decision and sends out all the wrong messages. Makes you wonder will they also now ban Spurs supporters from going to Villa Park? As Spurs also have a large jewish following.
Take your blinkers off and look at how the Maccabi Fan’s behaved themselves in Amsterdam and Athens with their racist and xenophobic anti Palestinian chanting.
The residents of both Cities were left terrified by these thugs.
Sorry but you need to read about that. There were people convicted in Amsterdam of “hunting jews”. The Macabi fans were not angels but the locals that weren’t interested in football went at them because of their ethnicity. This is exactly what will happen here. In terms of arrest ratios amongst the fans then it was around 45-10 in favour of Ajax.
These are the same football hooligans that went round Amsterdam beating up any non-white person they found.
Then the next day when people fought back they were accused of anti-Semitism.
Their faith is not the reason trouble follows them it is their politics and behaviour
As I said, just read into it. The trial of those who attacked the Macabi fans was reported on the BBC, Guardian etc.
As with reply to David during the match in Amsterdam those Maccabi Muppets couldn’t even keep quiet for the Minutes Silence to remember those who died in The Spanish Floods.
What nonsense are you talking about, Jewish people are fine in the majority of the UK, so long as they’re not supporting genocide (most people who support genocide, jewish or not tends to get short shrift).
Yet again Starmer chooses to ignore the real issues that concern the vast majority of the people of the UK. By diving feet first into this issue he seeks to divert attention from his parties failing policies & the financial situation facing the ordinary man & woman in the street, ie, creeping inflation, energy bills etc. The Tories certainly taught him well.
So our PM is more concerned about a bunch of racist Israeli football fans being allowed to attend a football match than the violence and racism that they would bring towards his own countrymen. Says all you need to know about him.
And as for claiming that the ban is antisemitic…yawn. It doesn’t matter where fans are from or what religion they follow. If they can’t behave themselves then they don’t deserve to attend.
“A network which reports discriminatory incidents to UEFA says it is “reluctant to question” the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from next month’s Europa League match away to Aston Villa, claiming supporters of the Israeli club are “well known for their racism”……so are supporters of glasgow rangers and chelsea. So will this network then also support a ban on their supporters?
I think you’ve been watching a bit too much GB News
ad hominem
They’re also well-known for their violence against non-white people, which is a good enough reason for me to keep these thugs out of a predominantly Muslim area of Birmingham.
But top marks for whataboutery anyway, David.
No no, the Israeli fans cannot possibly be racist, that’s Anti-Semitic. They’re victims (see Kemi whatshername, Kier Starmer and Ed Davey). They’re being wrongly excluded because they might be subjected to racism, they’re not racists. All facepalming aside, thanks, I hadn’t actually heard anywhere else the information provided in the article above and has certainly made me re-evaluate my opinion. I had been of the opinion that, yes it was technically wrong but if they’re coming to an area where they’re definitely gonna be subject to attacks and it’d be a drain on the police resources… then it was unfortunate.… Read more »
I think some of the comments here show exactly why it isn’t safe for Jewish football fans from the UK, let alone those from another country.
PM should butt out and leave policing to the police. Local fire and ambulance and police and council would have come to this decision and we don’t know what intel the police have, it must be quite bad for this.
Police and emergency services due diligence happens at every match, and don’t forget England fans were banned for a number of years. This team has ultra’s. Villa is in a housing estate. The question should be what has Netanyahu and Trump on our PM.
I’m always a tad uneasy when politicians – many of whom these days are hardly a creditable and credible bunch – ‘horn in’ on what must be essentially policing decisions on the force’s capacity, as they judge it in a particular situation, to maintain order and ensure public safety. I hear that this ‘safety advisory group’ actually has no power to make the decision which was reached: the clue’s in the name, and its function is to be solely ‘advisory’. But the powers-that-be in Birmingham – police and local authority – presumably took the advice, and the rationale given in… Read more »