Maccabi Tel Aviv will no longer sell tickets to supporters for their clash with Aston Villa at Villa Park, the club has confirmed. It was announced by Villa last week that the decision had been made not to permit fans of the Israeli side to attent the Europa League clash come Thursday, November 6.
Birmingham’s safety advisory group made the call based on concerns from West Midlands Police with regards to the force’s ability to deal with potential protests related to the war between Israel and Palestine. Sir Keir Starmer, who is the UK Prime Minister, labelled the decision as “wrong.” However, Maccabi will not sell tickets for the match, also citing safety concerns.
In a statement, the club said: “We acknowledge the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely, and are grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community and society at large.
“We as a Club believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart and no one should feel unsafe for simply wanting to come and support their team nor feel any hesitation about being accompanied by family and friends. We have a strong track record in seeking to bring people together.
“We have been instrumental in bringing forward footballing talent from around the world irrespective of race or creed. Our first team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide.
“We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base. Unfortunately, those issues are not restricted to Israeli football, and they are problems the sport has been grappling worldwide including in the UK.
“It is clear, that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends. The latest example is by people who have rushed to attribute to our fans the decision of the Tel Aviv police to cancel our derby match yesterday. It was not.
“It is easier to believe than to enquire especially when it suites an agenda. Our fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behavior is an attempt to distort reality and to excuse the real underlying reasons for the decision to ban our fans.
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