Overview
- West Midlands Police confirmed six arrests outside Villa Park, including three for racially aggravated public order, one for breach of the peace, and two for failing to comply with orders.
- A large operation featured horses, dogs, a drone unit and restricted airspace, with traffic disruption warned across Birmingham on match night.
- Local safety advisers barred visiting supporters based on police intelligence referencing previous violent incidents, and Maccabi Tel Aviv declined any away ticket allocation.
- Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce said the primary risk assessment focused on hooliganism by a section of Maccabi fans rather than threats against them.
- Pro-Palestine groups, led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, rallied near the stadium with a smaller counter‑protest present, as some nearby schools closed early and the government’s earlier criticism of the fan ban continued to reverberate.