Aston Villa is set to host Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the UEFA Europa League at Villa Park. This Thursday’s match is generating deep fears on the part of British police. They are already planning to deploy more than 700 officers in Birmingham to respond to the anticipated unrest. The home side has prohibited away fans from being present at the game. This decision is motivated by our concern for safety and the possibility of potential violence.
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG), the group that advises on public safety at such events, advised against allowing Maccabi supporters on this basis and requested the ban. They listed several physical and safety elements that led to their choice. Nicholas Blincoe, an author and expert on the intersection of football and politics warned of a serious danger. He added that permitting Maccabi fans to come would have created untenable logistical challenges. He went on to clarify that patrons would not be flying straight from Israel to Birmingham but most likely taking train transport from London.
Protests Planned Amidst Heightened Security
The match occurs against a backdrop that has seen conflicts between these two off the field. Several different pro-Palestine groups are currently working to plan protests against the team’s visit. Changing the tides In the wake of the recent Israeli siege on Gaza, organizations including Game Over Israel, the Hind Rajab Foundation, and Health Workers 4 Palestine have mobilized to act. These conflicts have sadly resulted in the deaths of at least 68,875 Palestinians.
Banners, and Palestinian flags, have started to show up on bridges over the main motorway connecting Aston to downtown Birmingham. This shows the massive size of the grassroots opposition. Blincoe commented on the alarming violence that was threatened, pointing to defended history of violent behavior by Maccabi fans.
“These ultras have become increasingly right-wing nationalistic and explicitly racist,” – Nicholas Blincoe.
Police leaders have admitted that they don’t know what they’re doing and what the situation looks like. They’re preparing for national riots too. These disturbances might look like the hooliganism of last year’s episodes across Amsterdam as Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax, resulting in more than 60 arrests.
Police and Local Authorities Take Precautions
West Midlands Police yesterday said they were adopting a ‘low tolerance’ approach to make sure the public are kept safe during the match. They expect considerable disruptions in the vicinity of Villa Park and recommend that residents stay away from it if they can.
“People not attending the event should expect significant disruption to the roads in the area on the evening, and we’d urge people to avoid the area where possible,” – West Midlands Police.
Since these imposed restrictions have raised concerns, Tom Joyce, a spokesperson for West Midlands Police, reiterated that they want to protect every community in Birmingham. They definitely respect all citizens’ rights to peaceful protest.
“We know protests by different groups will take place on the day, and we have plans in place which balance the right to protest with our duty to protect all communities in Birmingham,” – Tom Joyce.
The police’s strategy reflects their awareness of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s history with violence and racism.
“Their chants are appalling – chants about death to Arabs, chants about death to Palestinian children,” – Nicholas Blincoe.
This background has caused officials to play it safe in the run-up to the game.
A Complex Situation Looms Ahead
As match day draws near, tensions keep increasing between rival groups. In addition, the cops know that they can’t possibly monitor all avenues of transportation or all crowd movement.
“They can’t police 190 miles [305 kilometres] of train tracks. The situation is so unpredictable and threatens riots of several days, similar to what we saw in Amsterdam, and this is why the police came down on the side of extreme caution,” – Nicholas Blincoe.
To combat this, Aston Villa recently released a reminder of their fans’ expected match conduct. They further highlight that showing political symbols or messages is absolutely forbidden as per UEFA rules. Failure to comply with this regulation may lead to immediate removal from the stadium and future prohibition.
“As per UEFA guidance, the displaying of political symbols, messages or flags during the match is strictly prohibited and will result in immediate ejection and the issuing of a stadium ban,” – Aston Villa.
