Overview
- Amsterdam police spokesman Sebastiaan Meijer said West Midlands claims about river attacks, IDF links, mass targeting of Muslims, and a 5,000-officer deployment were incorrect, citing one known river case involving an apparent Maccabi fan and about 1,200 Dutch officers across shifts.
- West Midlands Police defended its evaluation as intelligence-led, noting an October 1 meeting with Dutch counterparts and a UKFPU/NPCC peer review on October 20 that endorsed its approach.
- The force said a subgroup called the Maccabi Fanatics posed a credible threat to public safety and that this informed its submission to Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group.
- Maccabi Tel Aviv declined any away allocation on safety grounds, so the November 6 Europa League match at Villa Park proceeded without visiting supporters.
- More than 700 officers policed the game with around 10 arrests near the stadium, as the decision drew criticism from political and community figures including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.