Aston Villa are scheduled to play Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 4
Villa Park
The group claimed many "Villa fans happy to give up their seats to travelling Tel Aviv supporters."
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Aston Villa's Jewish Villans supporters' club has criticised West Midlands Police for implementing "modern-day Nazism" with its decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the club's Europa League fixture against Villa over fan safety concerns.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has spoken out against the ban, calling it the "wrong decision", with senior government officials expected to meet today to explore the possibility of reversing the call.
West Midlands Police said it "has a strong track record of successfully policing football matches and other high-risk public events," during a statement announcing the ban, referencing "violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam."
[A report into last year's violent clashes](http:// https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/nov/12/toxic-cocktail-led-to-amsterdam-violence-mayor-says) between the Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax supporters found visiting fans of the Israeli club had chanted anti-Palestinian songs before, during and after the match, including “f*** you, Palestine," and "olé, olé, let the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] win, we will f*** the Arabs”.
Fans of Maccabi during the November 2024 fixture against Ajax which led to violent clashes.
Fans of Maccabi during the November 2024 fixture against Ajax which led to violent clashes.
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Local police confirmed Palestinian flags were torn from public buildings before being burned and that buildings were defaced by the away fans.
The city's mayor also condemned what she claimed were "anti-semitic" attacks carried out by Ajax fans, described as "hit-and-runs", while Dutch authorities claimed the visiting fans were "systematically targeted" by violent home supporters.
Dozens were injured during the skirmishes, and more than 60 people were arrested for public order offences.
Now, Aston Villa are set to play Maccabi Tel Aviv in a Europa League league phase match on November 6.
"In the summer of 1938, on a tour of Germany, the name Aston Villa became famous around the world, as the only visiting team who refused an official request to perform the Nazi salute prior to kickoff," Andrew Fox, the honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters’ club, wrote on X, on behalf of the group in response to the fan ban.
"Today, the same club have been forced by the local authorities to salute modern-day Nazism. We lay no blame on Villa - it would absolutely not be safe to allow thousands of Jews to walk around Aston and its surroundings.
"Why that may be so should trouble the entire country. It must also be said that following the announcement, we have been inundated with Villa fans happy to give up their seats to travelling Tel Aviv supporters."
General view of Villa Park.
West Midlands Police say it liaised with community officials before making the decision.
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Independent MP for the area, Ayoub Khan, has backed the ban, telling Newsnight on Thursday evening (October 16), "We're talking about violent fans - and the PM should stay out of operational matters."
This season's European campaigns have already seen two sets of fans told by local authorities they cannot attend specific away matches due to safety concerns, including Ajax, whose supporters were barred from attending an away loss against Marseille on September 30.
Napoli officials also issued an order "forbidding the sale of match tickets by SSC Napoli to inhabitants of the city of Frankfurt," ahead of their Champions League fixture on November 4.
West Midlands Police's statement continued: "We have actively engaged with a wide range of local partners and community representatives in preparation for this fixture, and continue to participate in the Safety Advisory Group.
"While the Safety Certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.
"This decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
"Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety. We remain steadfast in our support all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms."
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