Supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv are barred from attending their next Europa League game at Aston Villa. The first of these matches will be hosted in the UK. West Midlands Police deemed the match high risk due to major security risks. To mitigate this, they chose to exclude away fans from participating.
The Birmingham City Safety Advisory Group (SAG) formally informed Aston Villa that the decision would need to be made. They emphasized the necessity of the ban for guaranteeing public safety during the widely-publicized, nationally-observed event. This precaution is taken after Maccabi Tel Aviv’s past participation in events that heightened fears of violent acts.
In the last few years, fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv have been repeatedly accused of being violent. This has especially become apparent during a recent international friendly in Amsterdam, where they reportedly butted heads with pro-Palestinian demonstrators and attacked Dutch citizens. Accounts from the assault suggest that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters violently targeted expressions of support for Palestine. They chanted mantras that the left thought were racist and genocidal.
The decision has drawn criticism from various quarters, including Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who stated, “I call on the UK authorities to reverse this coward decision!” Saar’s remarks resonate with a broader sentiment expressed by other Israeli leaders. They do fear the ban will further harm Maccabi Tel Aviv and its fans.
The London-based Jewish Leadership Council voiced its disapproval, asserting that it is “perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can’t guarantee their safety.” They called for Aston Villa to be punished for their action over the announcement. They further demanded that the upcoming match be played without an audience.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer remarked on the situation, stating, “We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.” To achieve this, he said the police remain a critical component. Their vision is for everyone connected to football to be able to enjoy the sport without fear of violence or intimidation. Starmer’s comments underscore the contentious issues that accompany security at sporting events, particularly those deeply rooted in political conflict.
The drama involving Maccabi Tel Aviv goes much deeper than this game. Over 30 legal experts have recently urged UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin to ban Israeli teams from international competition based on allegations of human rights violations in Gaza. The specialists cited a recent UN report as evidence that Israel is committing acts of genocide against the Palestinian population.
“These acts have decimated an entire generation of athletes, eroding the fabric of Palestinian sport,” – 30 legal experts
“The failure of the Israel Football Association (IFA) to challenge these violations implicates it in this system of oppression, rendering its participation in UEFA competitions untenable,” – 30 legal experts
“UEFA must not be complicit in sports-washing such flagrant breaches of international law, including but not limited to the act of genocide,” – 30 legal experts
The ongoing debate about Maccabi Tel Aviv’s participation in international football competitions reflects broader tensions regarding Israel’s actions in Gaza. Calls to relegate or ban Israeli football teams from international sporting competitions have a long history. Now advocacy groups like MoveOn.org are calling on sporting organizations to reconsider their relationships with teams connected to fraught political environments.
With the match date approaching rapidly, local authorities are under immense pressure to make tough choices. Maccabi Tel Aviv is at a sort of crossroads, too. Banning away fans raises troubling issues regarding how law enforcement handles the security of public sporting events. It harms fan engagement, too—most notably, when it comes to engagement across political divides.
