Aston Villa stadium (Jacob King/PA)
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The UK Government is “deeply saddened” that Maccabi Tel Aviv has decided to decline any tickets offered to its fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park.
Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers had been “working around the clock” to make sure fans from both Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv could attend the fixture next month, a spokesperson said.
They had been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to try to overturn the ban on supporters of the Israeli side attending the match.
The Israeli club said in an earlier statement that a “toxic atmosphere” had put the safety of fans wanting to attend “very much in doubt”.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle, that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.
“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so.
“It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us.
“We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.
“We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that this game goes ahead safely, and that Jewish communities across this country get the safety and security they deserve.”