Why are Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned from Europa League fixture against Aston Villa?

Aston Villa take on Israeli Premier League side Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park this evening in a match that has already drawn widespread criticism before a ball has been kicked.

No Maccabi fans are permitted at the fixture, following a decision by the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and a risk assessment carried out by West Midlands Police (WMP).

The match was deemed a high-risk fixture by law enforcement and despite UK political leaders condemning the decision to prevent Maccabi supporters from attending, the match remains a home fan-only affair.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned due to geopolitical tensions and prior conduct

WMP's reason for categorising the match as 'high-risk' came as a result of geopolitical tensions related to the Israel-Gaza conflict and Maccabi supporters' previous conduct in Europe.

Due to the subsequent backlash, Maccabi declined their ticket allocation citing a 'toxic atmosphere' which they claimed would create an unsafe environment for travelling fans.

Maccabi supporters were accused of widespread violence, discriminatory chanting and public disorder in Amsterdam last year ahead of their Europa League fixture against Ajax.

It is thought this particular incident contributed to WMP's decision to classify Aston Villa's home game against Maccabi as high-risk.

Dutch police described Maccabi supporters as 'highly organised' and 'intent on causing serious violence'. This information was brought to the attention of WMP and Birmingham's SAG ahead of Maccabi's proposed visit to the UK's second city.

In addition, census data estimates approximately 70 per cent of the people in the Aston constituency of Birmingham, which recently elected pro-Gaza MP Ayoub Khan and is home to Villa Park, is considered Asian or British Asian with a large proportion of the population Muslim.

Local authorities are aware that hosting a large group of Israeli fans in the area, particularly given the planned presence of pro-Palestinian demonstrations close to Villa Park, would create a potentially problematic security environment. WMP have sought to decrease the risk of sectarian violence, which has contributed to the Maccabi supporter ban, however, 700 officers will still be deployed for the fixture.

Maccabi chief executive Jack Angelides has contested the information provided to Birmingham's SAG and WMP by Dutch authorities, relating to supporters' behaviour in Amsterdam.

"We have not been given a clear reason [for the ban]," Angelides told Sky News. "I have seen people coming up with all sorts of stories of our fans, especially in Amsterdam, where there was, what the Amsterdam authorities themselves classified as 'a Jew hunt', being portrayed as organised fighters, soldiers, etc, etc.

"It's just blatant falsehoods, and people who say those things know that they're false and shame on them."

Angelides did acknowledge that the Maccabi support features unsavoury elements and that the club are working on ridding the fanbase of discrimination.

"Any club that tries to suggest that they don't have any issues, whatever that may be, it's untrue," Angelides added.

"We know we've got a long road ahead. There are elements in the club that are not in line with our values, our morals, and we do expend a lot of energy and have been for many, many years in trying to eradicate that."