ISRAELI fans will not be able to buy tickets for the Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv clash even if the ban on their attendance is lifted.
Maccabi has announced it won’t sell tickets for the game to its fans in light of “hate-filled falsehoods” and “a toxic atmosphere”.
Birmingham safety chiefs banned Maccabi fans from the game over safety concerns – sparking public outcry and an intervention from Keir Starmer.
The government said it was exploring what “additional resources and support are required” to allow “all fans” to attend.
The Israeli club has now decided not to sell tickets to its fans in any case – even if they are eventually offered up by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group.
In a statement shared on X, 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.
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“As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.
“The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context.”
The statement concluded by expressing the club’s hope to play in Birmingham in the near future once circumstances have changed.
The UK Government responded this evening:
“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.”
Birmingham City Council was advised to bar the travelling fans from the November 6 tie over fears of clashes with pro-Palestinian mobs.
Cops in the West Midlands said the match was high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
The decision to exclude any fans coming from the Israeli capital was met with heavy criticism from the Government and supporters.
Despite growing pressure, Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG) has confirmed the ban will remain in place.
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC’s full statement
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.
Our fans, the Jewish community know all too well this tactic and all are too familiar with where it can lead. We are also concerned about the intervention of divisive figures who do not represent the values of our Club.
We condemn all abhorrent views that have no place in football. As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.
Inflammatory rhetoric, trafficking in half-truths is never healthy, but in this particular case the remarks being generated are of the most concerning variety. Not for Maccabi Tel Aviv or football, but for the sake of society and its underlying values, maybe the agendas involved here should be looked at more closely.
The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context.
We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was “unacceptable” for away fans to be barred from the fixture.
She told Sky News: “We think (it) is very difficult to justify and very difficult to accept.
“The Government will do what we can to ensure that the relevant authorities have got the resources they need…
“We will provide what is necessary alongside the other relevant authorities in order to ensure that fans can attend.
“I think it’s unacceptable to have ended up in a position where away fans are unable to attend for the reasons that have been cited.
“We have a role to play but other relevant authorities in the West Midlands will also be taking this into account.”
British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, who spent 471 days held captive by Hamas in Gaza and had planned to attend the game, led the condemnation.
Emily, 29, said in a powerful statement on X: “I am a die-hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
“I am shocked to my core with this outrageous decision to ban me, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa game in the UK.
“Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.
“Shame on you. 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.”
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa’s Jewish Villans supporters’ club, said the ban sent “a really worrying message about British society”.
He said: “It just makes a very febrile political situation worse. There’s no evidence of Maccabi’s fans being particularly violent.
“They don’t have a track record in all of their previous European games of having a violent fan group.
“So really this is a political message rather than a safety message.”
Police recommended a ban after clashes between Maccabi fans and those of Dutch giants Ajax in Amsterdam in November.
Pro-Palestinian mobs attacked the travelling Israelis who responded by hurling abuse and tearing down a Palestinian flag.
Police advised Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group chaired by the Labour-run city council’s head of resilience, Michael Enderby.
PM Sir Keir pledged to do “everything possible” to protect British jews in the wake of the Manchester synagogue knife horror.
He promised to increase the visible police presence and show “the other Britain — the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love”.
But he was initially locked in a red-tape wrangle with police accused of choosing to ban travelling Jewish football fans rather than shield them.
It has brought attention to the game, making it a huge draw for pro-Palestine protesters who have been marching on UK streets for months.
Yesterday, the Tel Aviv derby clash between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off following violent clashes between supporters.
Fans from both capital-based clubs reportedly threw flares, bottles, smoke grenades and even stones onto the pitch from the stands.
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The scenes led to an initial decision to send the players back to their dressing rooms and officially postpone the game’s start.
But the unrest grew around the ground, with police claiming several officers and civilians were injured in the chaos.
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