Aston Villa Bans Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans for Security Reasons

Aston Villa Bans Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans from Europa League Match

Aston Villa has announced that it will not allow Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to enter its next Europa League match due to security concerns. The English club issued a statement on Thursday explaining the decision. Villa cited the recommendation of the local police, who expressed “public safety concerns outside the stadium and the ability to deal with potential protests on the night.” The club has been in constant dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities, prioritizing the safety of fans and residents.

The club is in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and local authorities during this process, with the safety of the fans attending the match and the safety of local residents as a priority in any decision.

Aston Villa

West Midlands Police, with a strong track record in managing football matches and high-risk events, has classified the match as high-risk. According to a force spokesperson, the decision is based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crimes that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

The police believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety, reaffirming their zero-tolerance stance on hate crimes. The match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa will be played on November 6th at Villa Park. This will be the team’s first away match in the Europa League since the pro-Palestinian protests at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, when the club played against PAOK on September 24th. About 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that match and were held back behind a police cordon before entering the stadium. The London-based Jewish Leadership Council called Thursday’s decision unfair. Maccabi Tel Aviv fans violently clashed with city residents in Amsterdam last season when the team visited for a Europa League match against Ajax. The European football organization, UEFA, had been considering a vote to suspend Israeli teams from its competitions before this was superseded this month by the ceasefire in Gaza.