EXCLUSIVE: Maccabi Tel Aviv decide NOT to sell tickets for Villa game over safety fears

Maccabi Tel Aviv will not sell any tickets to their fans for next month’s away Europa League fixture at Aston Villa, citing fears that supporters’ safety cannot be guaranteed, Jewish News understands.

The decision—likely to prompt questions about the effectiveness of policing in Birmingham, the UK’s second-largest city—will be attributed by the Israeli club’s leadership to interventions by “various entrenched groups exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.”

Club officials fear the campaign by pro-Gaza MP Ayoub Khan, and local community activists had initially put the safety of innocent Maccabi fans at risk if they travelled to Villa Park.

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But their concern about the protection of fans, both flying in from Israel, and many based in the UK, was heightened after an intervention by the far-right activist Tommy Robinson last week.

A source told Jewish News: “The risk posed by anti-Israel protesters was substantial, but we thought we had a plan to prevent them from prevailing. “But that changed with the intervention of Tommy Robinson.

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“There was now also danger that our supporters could be falsely associated with his far-right activities, in front of anti-Israel protestors already out to get them.

“With Robinson’s supporters potentially posing as Maccabi fans on the streets of Birmingham, we concluded that the risk had become unacceptable for innocent fans who just want to watch their team play.”

As a result, Jewish News understands that no tickets will not be made available to Maccabi fans for the fixture on 6 November.

It means that match will go ahead without away fans. But anti-Israel activists are still expected to be out in force on the streets around the famous Premier League club’s ground.

One security source added: “It will show that this was never really about influx of Maccabi fans in the first place within the ranks of the Islamist activists.”

The match had been at the centre of controversy after West Midlands Police imposed its controversial ban on away fans.

The police ban followed a campaign led by local pro-Gaza MP Ayoub Khan and community activists, who claimed that the presence of Maccabi fans posed a threat.

In response, the UK government applied intense pressure on the police to reverse the ban—a move communal leaders branded a “national disgrace.”

They pledged to “do whatever it takes,” including launching legal action against Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police, to allow Maccabi supporters to attend.

But Jewish News now understands that despite these efforts, and before the cancellation of Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby between Maccabi and Hapoel, Maccabi’s leadership decided not to risk the safety of fans who wished to travel to Birmingham.

This decision was made despite extensive plans that had been put in place to transport supporters safely to and from the stadium.

In earlier agreed plans, Maccabi had managed to restrict ticket sales to family supporters and UK-based fans, excluding the club’s “ultras,” to minimize risk.

While there were serious concerns about potential threats from anti-Israel protesters, the initial view was that effective policing and security measures could ensure the safety of Maccabi’s supporters.

However, last week, following an intervention by far-right activist Tommy Robinson (real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon)—who called on his followers to protest against Islamist activists at the match and was photographed wearing a Maccabi shirt—the club’s management determined that the risk to their fans had become too great.

Yaxley-Lennon, currently visiting Israel at the invitation of Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, had posted a photo of himself in a Maccabi Tel Aviv shirt with the caption: “Who’s coming to support Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park on 6 November?”—suggesting he would attend the match himself and further escalating security concerns.

It is understood Lord Mann, the government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, was among those to have discussions with Maccabi officials about continued safety concerns about the fixture over the weekend.

The decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from Villa Park next month “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had said in the Commons on Monday.

The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the Europa League tie against Aston Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police.

This decision which drew immediate criticism from politicians including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

In response to an urgent question in the House of Commons from former Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston on Monday, Nandy had said the final call on whether to admit Maccabi fans must ultimately be made by the police.

A statement on Maccabi’s website confirmed on Monday evening: “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 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.”