UK government ‘deeply saddened’ as Maccabi Tel Aviv decline any Aston Villa tickets

The UK government has said it is “deeply saddened” by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to decline any tickets offered to their fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park.

The local safety advisory group opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the tie against Aston Villa on 6 November after a risk assessment by West Midlands police, a decision that drew criticism from politicians including the prime minister, Keir Starmer.

There have been calls for the decision to be reversed, but a statement on the Maccabi website on Monday evening read: “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 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 fanbase also crosses the ethnic and religious divide. We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fanbase.

“It is clear that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fanbase, 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 UK government spokesperson said: “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.”

Earlier on Monday, the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said the decision to bar supporters “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people.