Why are Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from Aston Villa match - and has this happened before?
While banning fans from away matches is not unprecedented, a fallout of this magnitude is. Here we explain why Maccabi fans have been banned from the Villa match and look at when and why these bans have happened before.
Tuesday 21 October 2025 10:35, UK
The decision to stop fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham has caused uproar.
While banning fans from matches is not unprecedented, the fallout is - with Sir Keir Starmer among those criticising the move, and going so far as gathering senior ministers to see if there is a way to reverse the decision.
Days after the ban was announced, Maccabi Tel Aviv said it was not going to sell tickets to the match to their fans, even if the decision is overturned.
It comes as government efforts to stamp out antisemitism have been in the spotlight after the terrorist attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester that left two men dead, with the attacker killed by police.
Why have Maccabi fans been banned?
In a statement on 16 October, Aston Villa said Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) - which issues safety certificates for every match at the ground - had "formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend" the fixture at Villa Park on 6 November.
The club said the safety group based its recommendation on a number of "physical and safety factors".
West Midlands Police also said they had classified the Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture as high risk based on "current intelligence and previous incidents".
The force said it believed the measure would help mitigate risks to public safety.
What has Maccabi Tel Aviv said?
On 20 October, Maccabi Tel Aviv said it was not going to sell away fan tickets to the Europa League match.
In a statement, the club said: "The wellbeing 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."
"We acknowledge the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely, and are grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community and society at large.
"We as a club believe that football should be about bringing people together, not driving them apart and no one should feel unsafe for simply wanting to come and support their team nor feel any hesitation about being accompanied by family and friends."
The UK government said it was "deeply saddened" by the club's decision.
It comes after "violent riots" led to Maccabi's match against local rival Hapoel in Tel Aviv being called off on 19 October.
Nine people were arrested at the Maccabi Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared by both clubs. Hapoel were the home team for the game.
How political leaders reacted
The ban by SAG was condemned by political and Jewish leaders, including Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar, who called it a "shameful decision".
The Jewish Leadership Council said it was "perverse" to ban away fans because police can't guarantee their safety, adding: "Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors."
After an outcry, the UK government said it was exploring what "additional resources and support are required" to allow "all fans" to attend the game.
Sir Keir said it was the "wrong decision" to stop Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending, adding: "The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation."
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described it as a "national disgrace".
But the decision was praised by Ayoub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, who launched a petition to ban Maccabi fans from the game.
He said from the moment the match was announced there were "latent safety risks".
In a statement he said: "With so much hostility and uncertainty around the match, it was only right to take drastic measures.
"Sports entertainment events should be enjoyed by all, regardless of their race, ethnicity and background. But there are rare instances where the political dynamics surrounding such spectacles cannot be ignored, and where drastic action must be taken to ensure the safety of fans, players, staff and local residents."
What about football leaders?
UEFA, which runs the Europa League, did not directly comment on the ban but said it wanted fans to be able to travel and support their team in a "safe, secure and welcoming environment".
It added that it "encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen".
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters' club, claimed the decision is "a political message rather than a safety message".
What happened previously to influence this decision?
West Midlands Police said they partly based their decision about next month's match on what happened last year, when violent clashes between pro-Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli fans erupted around the UEFA Europa League football match between Dutch club Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Five men were given prison sentences for attacks on visiting fans in riots denounced as antisemitic by Dutch authorities and foreign leaders, including Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Maccabi fans were also filmed at the time tearing a Palestinian flag off a building in Amsterdam, setting another on fire and chanting anti-Arab slogans on their way to the stadium.
UEFA did not take action against either Ajax or Maccabi Tel Aviv over the riots, which saw more than 60 people initially detained.
Are football fans often banned from games?
Yes, this is not an unprecedented action to take.
In 2023, UEFA banned Legia Warsaw from having any away supporters at five European games after violent clashes at a Europa Conference League game at Aston Villa.
Police charged more than 40 people after missiles and flares were thrown at officers. UEFA also ordered the Polish club to pay reparations for the damage caused at Villa Park.
As recently as last month, Ajax supporters were banned from travelling to Marseille for their Champions League fixture against Olympique Marseille.
The French interior ministry issued a decree forbidding any travel by people claiming to be Ajax fans by road, rail, air, or sea into Marseille. The ban was justified by authorities on grounds of public safety, citing a history of violent behaviour among some travelling supporters and longstanding animosity between fans of the two clubs.
Eintracht Frankfurt fans will also be banned from an upcoming Champions League match at Napoli on 4 November.
The Prefect of Naples, citing advice from the city police and a provincial public-order committee, prohibited the sale of any tickets to residents of Frankfurt for the match. This decision was based on concerns about public safety, in particular because of past violent incidents between the two clubs' supporters.
"Unfortunately, we have to accept the fact that the strategy of excluding away fans from high-risk Italian football matches - both domestic and European - has become common practice," Philipp Reschke, an Eintracht board member, said of the decision.
The number of arrests at football matches in England and Wales reached a nine-year high in 2022-23, with a total of 2,264, according to Home Office figures. This has since decreased to 1,932 in 2024-2025.
Read more:
Stopping Israeli fans from going to match raises serious question
Part of Birmingham 'can't be no-go area for Jews'
Could the decision still be reversed?
Technically, yes - but it is unsure if West Midlands Police and Birmingham's SAG will continue with the review of the decision after Maccabi's decision not to sell tickets.
West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster said the purpose of the review is to "determine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and proportionate".