Fan ban for Villa game ‘incredibly sad’ – Maccabi Tel Aviv chief

The chief executive of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv says it is “incredibly sad” away fans have been banned from his side’s Europa League match at Aston Villa.

“Politics should never be drawn into football”, Jack Angelides told BBC Sport.

Last month, the local Safety Advisory Group – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches – informed Villa that no travelling fans would be allowed to attend the fixture in Birmingham on Thursday after police raised concerns, sparking a major backlash.

The decision became the focus of parliamentary-level debate and Maccabi later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.

“It became a political issue and we’re not a pawn in a political game, we’re a football club”, said Angelides after his squad arrived in the city.

“Our strengths are running a football club and playing football.

“It’s incredibly sad and I think it’s a concerning and a worrying sign.”

Angelides added he feels there seems to be “a desire to perpetuate myths and falsehoods” around Maccabi Tel Aviv and its fans.

Six weeks ago, there was a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.

But once a ceasefire was agreed last month, it became clear Maccabi Tel Aviv – the only Israeli club to reach the league stage of European competition this season – would stay in the Europa League.

West Midlands Police said its high-risk assessment of the fixture was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.

Last month’s Tel Aviv derby was called off by police amid disorder, heightening safety concerns, but Angelides insisted his club’s fans were not to blame. When asked why he felt they had been banned from the match at Villa Park, he said, “I have no idea because it has never been fully reported.

“People have used the silence or lack of clarity to fulfil agendas. I must believe that there was a concern that the safety of the Maccabi fans coming here would be at risk. That must be the main reason.”

A coalition of six pro-Palestinian organisations are planning to be outside Villa Park on Thursday to protest against the match going ahead.

Nayeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity, said the organisation has put out a national call for people to turn up and hope to have between 20,000 and 50,000 protesters attending.

“Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be playing anywhere in the international arena,” Malik told BBC Sport.

“We have had a lot of demonstrations for Palestine in this city and they have all been very peaceful.

“Our campaign is that Israel should be boycotted in all sports and that’s whether they play with or without fans.”

More than 700 police officers will be deployed on the streets of Birmingham, including those with horses, dogs, the force’s drone unit, and road policing officers. There will be a no-fly zone around the ground, and some local schools say they are closing early.

“We trust in the local authorities,” said Angelides.

“I feel that they must know the situation, what is required and know the lines that must be drawn.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv have played both their Europa League home games this season in Serbia after Uefa ruled it was unsafe to host matches in Israel, and Angelides believes the players are accustomed to playing fixtures without a large travelling support.

“We’ve had to deal with this for two years, playing our home match abroad and often without fans because of the distance and location,” he added.