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West Midlands Police Face Intensifying Scrutiny Over Villa Park Ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans

MPs will question Chief Constable Craig Guildford this week over documents indicating the decision lacked solid intelligence.

Overview

  • Correspondence shows officers sought advice from Muslim community leaders, including three Birmingham mosques previously linked to speakers accused of anti‑Jewish rhetoric.
  • Leaked and released Safety Advisory Group and council minutes state police initially preferred a ban in the absence of intelligence and later revised threat assessments to support it.
  • Dutch police and the justice inspectorate disputed West Midlands claims about large‑scale violence in Amsterdam and a 5,000‑officer deployment, saying about 1,200 officers were used.
  • Guildford acknowledged there was no documented Jewish support for the prohibition as Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood publicly criticised the decision.
  • Guildford is due before the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, where MPs are expected to probe the consultations and the disputed evidence cited to justify the ban.