THE UK’S PRIME Minister Keir Starmer has said it was the “wrong decision” to ban fans of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv from next month’s Europa League game at Aston Villa.
Discussions are happening “at pace, across Government” to reverse the decision, Downing Street has said, as Starmer wants to do “everything in his power” to ensure Jewish people feel safe in the UK.
The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture has been classified high risk by West Midlands Police based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
Police pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
Authorities in Birmingham are facing mounting pressure to overturn the ban on visiting fans from attending the match at Villa Park on 6 November.
The UK’s Home Office has been speaking with police in Birmingham to offer them support, Downing Street said.
Starmer has been “angered by the decision”, the Downing Street spokesperson also said, adding: “While of course this is an operational decision, we are perfectly entitled to speak out on fundamental principles of fairness like this.”
He said: “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.”
This is the wrong decision.
We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.https://t.co/8aBeqE4qbA
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) October 16, 2025
Advertisement
Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, has faced widespread criticism from across the political spectrum for its decision to implement the ban.
The West Midlands’ police and crime commissioner Simon Foster called for Birmingham council officials and West Midlands Police to review the decision.
The review would “determine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim”, he said.
Labour mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker suggested the government could finance the policing costs should the ban be overturned.
He wrote on social media: “Whilst I respect West Midlands Police, if the government are willing to support in terms of resource then there should be a review of the decision that has been made.”
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.”
UEFA, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi fans could attend the Villa Park fixture.
Jack Angelides, the chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv, said he did not want to take security issues lightly but told the BBC the team has travelled to places such as Turkey, where he said the sentiment is “not so kind towards Israeli teams”, but the police “were out in force” and there were no incidents.
Written by Press Association and posted on TheJournal.ie