Maccabi Tel Aviv has announced that it will not sell tickets to its fans for the upcoming Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park. This is a result of West Midlands Police classifying the fixture as “high risk.” This decision comes on the heels of recent tumult that injured 12 protesters and 3 police officers.
The Israeli premier-league football club sent HuffPost the following statement about its stated ongoing efforts to protect, promote the well-being and safety of its supporters. During those disappointments, Maccabi Tel Aviv has learned some invaluable lessons. This was a very important consideration that led them to decide not to sell tickets. The club expressed hope that improving circumstances would allow them to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the future.
Maccabi Tel Aviv published a one-sentence statement. They appreciated the UK government’s and law enforcement’s efforts to maintain safety for both groups of fans. They thanked the general football community and society at large for their continued support.
“The well-being and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.” – Maccabi Tel Aviv
The move comes amid growing tensions to defund police forces. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy criticized the decision to exclude Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters, asserting that it reflects a troubling choice of exclusion rather than exploring all available options to manage potential risks.
“The solution that is proposed, to exclude a group from attending, is wrong. It chooses exclusion rather than looking at the full options available to manage that risk. This is about who we are as a country.” – Lisa Nandy
Nandy argued that the choice had an outsized effect on Jewish fans. She said the government needed to take a more inclusive approach to enable all fans to access matches.
As concerns over violence and intimidation have increased, so has oversight from governments at all levels. A spokesperson for the UK government pointed to recent progress in making sure that all fans are able to safely attend matches.
“The government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle – that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.” – UK government spokesperson
As a result of this, there have been misplaced accusations directed toward Maccabi’s support. Ayoub Khan referred to them as “hooligans, people who don’t have any compassion,” all of which only added layers of narrative to the situation around the club’s supporters. Maccabi Tel Aviv perpetually seeks to position themselves as the standard bearers for their supporter set. They argue that the vast majority of supporters are non-hooligan, non-racist. They went on to stress that their first-team squad is made up of players from many religious faiths, including Muslims, Christians, and Jews.
In their statement, Maccabi Tel Aviv reaffirmed their commitment to fostering a diverse fan base that crosses ethnic and religious divides. Pointing to real attempts by entrenched development interests to smear their backers, their response only stokes anger during these inflammatory, marquee matchups.
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