Overview
- Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group ruling keeps Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters out of Villa Park for Thursday’s Europa League fixture.
- West Midlands Police will deploy more than 700 officers with horses, dogs and a drone unit, and will implement Section 60 stop‑and‑search powers.
- The risk assessment draws on current intelligence and on violence and hate‑crime incidents at the 2024 Ajax–Maccabi match in Amsterdam.
- Pro‑Palestine groups plan a 6pm protest near the stadium, possible pro‑Israel demonstrations are noted, and home fans have been warned against political imagery under UEFA rules.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv declined any away ticket allocation, the game kicks off at 8pm on TNT Sports 2 with streaming on discovery+, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called the ban the wrong decision.