Overview
- The Israeli club said a toxic atmosphere and safety concerns led it to refuse any away allocation for the Nov. 6 game at Villa Park, effectively leaving no organised travelling support.
- Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, backed by West Midlands Police, had earlier recommended excluding visiting supporters based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including Amsterdam in 2024.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer and ministers condemned the exclusion and explored supplying extra policing resources to allow attendance, calling the decision wrong.
- Israel Police abandoned Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby because of serious disorder that injured officers and supporters, with arrests reported and crowd-control tactics deployed.
- The UK Football Policing Unit is liaising with Israeli authorities to establish what happened, while Maccabi says Hapoel fans threw the flares that halted the match.