Labour 'exploring what additional resources needed' to allow Israeli fans to attend Villa match

The Government has said it is "exploring what additional resources and support are required so all fans can attend” Aston Villa’s match against Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham.

Authorities in the city are facing mounting pressure to overturn the ban on Israeli supporters from attending next month’s Europa League clash.

A Government spokesman said it was working with "policing and other partners" to ensure the game can go ahead with "all fans present".

"No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are," the spokesman said.

"The Government is working with policing and other partners to do everything in our power to ensure this game can safely go ahead, with all fans present.

"We are exploring what additional resources and support are required so all fans can attend."

The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match was classified as high risk by West Midlands Police based on "current intelligence and previous incidents".

The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

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A No10 spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer had been "angered by the decision" , adding: "While of course this is an operational decision, we are perfectly entitled to speak out on fundamental principles of fairness like this."

He said: "The Prime Minister will do everything in his power to give Jewish communities the security they deserve and, as he has made clear, we think this is the wrong decision."

Birmingham City Council said the decision would not be reviewed unless there was a change in the risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police.

Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, is expected to raise the issue at a meeting early next week.

West Midlands’ police and crime commissioner Simon Foster has called for the decision to be reviewed, while Labour mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker suggested the Government could finance the policing costs should the ban be overturned.

There has been widespread criticism from across the political spectrum of the decision to implement the ban.

But senior officers at the UK Football Policing Unit have backed the move, saying it was “important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions”.

The unit said the Home Office was briefed “last week” that “restrictions on visiting fans” could be among the measures taken to police the November 6 fixture at Villa Park.

It is understood the Home Office was briefed that a ban was being considered, but no decision had been taken, and the Home Secretary was not informed of the final decision until it was revealed on Thursday night.

Kemi Badenoch accused Shabana Mahmood of knowing the ban would be announced ahead of it being made public, but a source close to the Home Secretary slammed the claim as “categorically untrue”.

The Tory leader wrote to X: “Now we learn the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, knew Jewish football fans were being banned from a UK stadium, and did nothing.

“Just like Starmer did nothing when he found out the China spy case was collapsing. The Home Secretary has serious questions to answer.”

In response, a source close to the Home Secretary said: “This is categorically untrue. The first time the Home Secretary knew that the fans were being banned was last night.

“Rather than baseless political point scoring, the Home Secretary is working tirelessly to ensure all fans can attend the game safely.”

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