Birmingham authorities face mounting pressure to overturn a ban on Israeli fans attending a football match in the city, with a policing leader calling for the decision to be reviewed, while senior ministers plan to meet officials to discuss it.
West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster called for Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police (WMP) to review the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the club’s Europa League match against Aston Villa in November.
Senior Government figures will also meet to discuss “a way through” the ban, culture minister Ian Murray told broadcasters on Friday morning.
The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture on November 6 at Villa Park has been classified 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”.
Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which is responsible for the decision, has drawn widespread criticism, including from Sir Keir Starmer, who said the ban was “wrong”.
Mr Foster said in a statement he has requested authorities “convene a special SAG at the earliest possible opportunity” in order to “conduct an immediate review” of the decision.
He added: “The purpose of my request for a review is to enable the SAG and WMP to determine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim.
“That must include consideration of all and any suitable alternative options.”
Meanwhile, minister Mr Murray, whose brief covers the Government’s culture and science departments, suggested his boss Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and senior Home Office officials would be among those in central Government meeting on Friday “to try and see if there’s a way through this”.
Mr Murray told BBC Breakfast the decision sends the “wrong message” that “you will be banned from going to public events if you’re of the wrong race, religion or creed”.
Emily Damari, a British-Israeli who was held captive by Hamas for more than a year before being released in January, and who supports Maccabi Tel Aviv and Tottenham Hotspur, said the decision to ban Israeli fans attending the Villa match was “outrageous”.
She added: “I do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying: ‘No Jews allowed’.
“What has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.”
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supporters’ club, said the decision to ban fans of the Israeli side is “a political message rather than a safety message”.
The retired British Army major told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There’s no evidence of Maccabi’s fans being particularly violent.
“They don’t have a track record in all of their previous European games of having a violent fan group.”
Uefa, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi fans could attend the Villa Park fixture.
The chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv said he did not want to take security issues lightly but said the team has travelled to places such as Turkey where he said the sentiment is “not so kind towards Israeli teams” but the police “were out in force” and there were no incidents.
Speaking on the Today programme, Jack Angelides said: “So I do find it somewhat difficult to understand why this has come to pass in the sense that our fans cannot be secure in attending this match.”
Aston Villa can confirm the club has been informed that no away fans may attend the UEFA Europa League match with Maccabi Tel Aviv.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 16, 2025
On Thursday evening, the Prime Minister condemned the decision, writing on X: “This is the wrong decision.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets.
“The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Earlier the same day, Sir Keir had announced new measures to stamp out antisemitism – including an NHS review – while visiting the Community Security Trust, which provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK.
He was joined by other political leaders in condemning the ban, including Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, who branded it a “national disgrace”.
