West Midlands Police admit ‘no documented feedback’ British Jews wanted Maccabi fans banned

Police leaders in Birmingham have apologised to a cross-party group of MPs after wrongly suggesting that members of the local Jewish community supported banning Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match against Aston Villa.

West Midlands Police clarified there was “no documented feedback” from Jewish representatives expressing support for the ban before it took effect.

The original decision to bar Maccabi supporters from the November 6 match, made by the Safety Advisory Group (SAG)—which includes council, police, and other authorities—sparked political outrage, including from Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

Earlier this month, Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara had told the Home Affairs Select Committee that “the police had been told by members of the Jewish community they did not want Maccabi fans to attend the match.”

However, West Midlands Police issued a statement clarifying: “It was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans.”

After Dame Karen Bradley, chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee, requested further clarification, Chief Constable Craig Guildford confirmed in a letter: “We can confirm that there is no documented feedback from Jewish representatives prior to the decision being communicated, which expressed support for the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.”

He added, though, that since the committee hearing, O’Hara “has been approached by members of the Jewish community who expressed that they agree with the Sag decision,” but that “many community members chose to share their views privately, offering their support in confidence.”

Guildford further stated: “ACC O’Hara and I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologise to the Home Affairs Select Committee for any confusion caused and would like to reassure you that there was never any intention to mislead whatsoever.”

Birmingham City Council also addressed the situation, with executive director of city operations Richard Brooks noting: “The Council and the Sag have been keen to learn from this experience and develop its processes for the future.”

He added that an independent review would be commissioned “to ascertain what can be improved from a governance perspective,” headed by an independent law firm.

Amid ongoing scrutiny, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has ordered the policing watchdog to examine how risk assessments are provided to SAGs for high-profile events, with findings due by March 31.

Separately, Maccabi Tel Aviv was reprimanded by UEFA and given a suspended one-match away ban and a €20,000 (approximately £17,500) fine for alleged discriminatory chanting by its fans.