West Midlands Police splashed nearly £2.8million on diversity schemes yet still banned Jewish football fans from a match knowing extremists planned to attack them. The force spent nearly £2.6million on salaries for diversity, equality and inclusion staff, and a further £184,602 on training between 2019 and 2025.
But the massive investment failed to prevent what Jewish leaders branded a “disgraceful” decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a match against Aston Villa in November last year, rather than protect them from threatened violence. The move drew strong criticism from Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who said the force “knew extremists were planning to attack Jews for going to a football match” but their response was to “blame and remove Jewish people instead”.
There have been mounting calls for Chief Constable Craig Guildford to resign, with reports circulating today that the Home Secretary may be considering sacking him. It follows a Home Affairs Committee inquiry which heard damning evidence that the police had made the decision to ban the fans first, then sought to find justification for doing so afterwards.
Chair Dame Karen Bradley MP accused officers of misleading Parliament after they falsely claimed 600 Maccabi fans attacked Muslim neighbourhoods in Amsterdam, a claim Dutch authorities refuted, saying provocations came “from both sides”. Police also exaggerated Amsterdam’s police deployment from 800-1,200 officers to 5,000 to justify their position.
Most damningly, officers falsely claimed local Jewish community leaders supported the ban – a claim formally denied by Ruth Jacobs, chair of Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community. The Israeli Foreign Ministry called the conduct “utterly disgraceful”, adding: “There is a specific term for the phenomenon of scapegoating Israelis and Jews while exonerating the true perpetrators – jihadists seeking to harm Jews. It is called antisemitism.”
The controversy has raised serious questions about the role of Green Lane Mosque in police decision-making.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford was appointed in 2022 after appearing before a panel that included representatives from the mosque, which was also consulted about the Maccabi fan ban. Green Lane Mosque has previously faced criticism after a speaker said men can physically discipline their wives.
The force’s FOI response states it wants to “enhance equality of opportunity and equality of access for all who live and work in the West Midlands”. Annual DEI spending peaked in 2023 with £542,233 in salary costs alone, whilst staff positions grew from just two full-time equivalent roles in 2019 to 8.72 by 2023.
The force has since scaled back, with just four DEI positions remaining in 2025. West Midlands Police was contacted for comment.