The UK Government is “deeply saddened” that Maccabi Tel Aviv has decided to decline any tickets offered to its fans for the Europa League match at Villa Park.
Sir Keir Starmer and his ministers had been “working around the clock” to make sure fans from both Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv could attend the fixture next month, a spokesperson said.
They had been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council to try to overturn the ban on supporters of the Israeli side attending the match.
The Israeli club said in an earlier statement that a “toxic atmosphere” had put the safety of fans wanting to attend “very much in doubt”.
A UK Government spokesperson said: “The Government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle, that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.
“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so.
“It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us.
“We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.
“We will continue to work closely with the police to ensure that this game goes ahead safely, and that Jewish communities across this country get the safety and security they deserve.”
The Israeli side said in a statement on Monday evening that it had decided not to accept any tickets for the match for its fans.
The club said: “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.”
Birmingham’s safety advisory group, the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park, last week said that no away fans would be allowed to attend.
The Prime Minister then weighed in, calling the move “wrong” and for it to be overturned.
The Government had been expecting West Midlands Police to set out this week what they would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present.
Downing Street said earlier on Monday that the UK Football Policing Unit was “reaching out” to Israeli authorities to understand why an Israeli Premier League match between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday.
Trouble reportedly flared before kick-off in and around the Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared by Hapoel and Maccabi.
And Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had defended the Government’s efforts to reverse the ban earlier in the Commons.
She said the ban had an impact on a community who already feel “excluded and afraid”.
Ms Nandy said it was legitimate to support the police’s independence to carry out a risk assessment for the match but that it was also legitimate to “question the conclusion that follows when it excludes the people at the heart of that risk”.
She said the Government would find the resources to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans could attend.
