Maccabi Tel Aviv will not sell tickets to their fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park, the Israeli club have said.
The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the tie against Aston Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police.
This decision drew immediate criticism from politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
After an outcry, the UK government said on Friday it was exploring what “additional resources and support are required” to allow “all fans” to attend.
However, Maccabi released a statement on Monday night confirming they will not sell supporters tickets: “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.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
The statement questioned the motives of those seeking to justify the ban.
“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,” said the club.
“Our first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide. We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base.
“It is clear that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.
“As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created, which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.”
A statement from a government spokesperson in response to Maccabi’s decision to deny the sale of tickets to fans read: “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.
“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so.
“It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us.
“We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets. We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that this game goes ahead safely, and that Jewish communities across this country get the safety and security they deserve.”
The Tel Aviv derby between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday following violent clashes between supporters. Police said 12 people and three officers were injured.
Following the disorder, Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Ayoub Khan described fans of Maccabi as “hooligans, people who show no mercy” and demanded the Prime Minister apologise for his criticism of the ban.
Earlier on Monday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the decision to bar supporters “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people.
In response to an urgent question in the House of Commons from former Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston on Monday, Nandy said the final call must ultimately be made by the police.
However, she said the country “should be appalled” that the initial risk assessment was, she claimed, “based in no small part on the risk posed to those fans that are attending who support Maccabi because they are Israeli, and because they are Jewish”.
She added: “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.”
West Midlands Police last week classified the fixture as “high risk”. They said the decision was “based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”.
