Tommy Robinson played a part in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision not to request a ticket allocation for their upcoming match against Aston Villa. The Premier League team chose not to sell tickets to Maccabi fans for their Europa League clash at Villa Park next month, following police advice on safety grounds, which sparked backlash and accusations of anti-semitism.
Efforts have been made to find a solution that would allow Maccabi fans to travel and watch their team play in Birmingham, but the presence of right-wing activist Robinson at an event in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, attended by 1,000 people, heightened concerns that the match could be exploited.
Robinson posted a picture of himself wearing a Maccabi Tel Aviv shirt on his X page, with the caption: “Who’s coming to support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park on November 6th???”
Pro-Palestine Birmingham MP Ayoub Khan and the Game Over Israel group had campaigned heavily against the fixture before the ban on away fans was announced.
West Midlands Police classified the fixture as “high risk” based on intelligence and previous incidents including “violent clashes and hate crime offences” when Maccabi fans attended a match against Ajax in Amsterdam in November 2024.
Despite significant government pushback on the decision, Maccabi released a statement on Monday stating they would not be seeking to take up their allocation due to groups potentially seeking to exploit the row. They added that the “well-being and safety of our fans is paramount”.
In a statement, the club said: “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.”
A source elaborated on the statement to Jewish News, saying: “The risk posed by anti-Israel protesters was substantial, but we thought we had a plan to prevent them from prevailing. But that changed with the intervention of Tommy Robinson.
“There was now also danger that our supporters could be falsely associated with his far-right activities, in front of anti-Israel protestors already out to get them.
“With Robinson’s supporters potentially posing as Maccabi fans on the streets of Birmingham, we concluded that the risk had become unacceptable for innocent fans who just want to watch their team play.”
The British government has voiced its disapproval of the decision to ban away fans and today expressed its deep sadness that the situation could not be resolved.
A Government spokesperson remarked: “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.”
