The Government will “provide what is necessary” to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans can attend a match in Birmingham next month, a Cabinet minister has said.
Bridget Phillipson said blocking supporters from the Europa League game against Aston Villa was “very difficult to justify” after local authorities announced the Israeli team’s fans would be barred amid safety concerns.
It comes as the Tel Aviv derby between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday following violent clashes between supporters.
Following the disorder, Independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Ayoub Khan described fans of the club as “hooligans, people who show no mercy” and demanded Sir Keir Starmer apologise for his criticism of the ban.
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday, Education Secretary Ms Phillipson said it was “unacceptable” for away fans to be barred from the Birmingham fixture “for the reasons that have been cited”.
“We think (it) is very difficult to justify and very difficult to accept and that football fans shouldn’t be unable to attend games for fear of what that might cause more widely,” she told Sky News.
Asked what ministers were doing to overturn the ban, she said: “The Government will do what we can to ensure that the relevant authorities have got the resources they need… We will provide what is necessary alongside the other relevant authorities in order to ensure that fans can attend.
“I think it’s unacceptable to have ended up in a position where away fans are unable to attend for the reasons that have been cited and therefore we have a role to play but other relevant authorities in the West Midlands will also be taking this into account.”
Local authorities had said last week that Maccabi fans would be blocked from attending the November 6 game in Birmingham, with West Midlands Police classifying the fixture as high-risk 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.
Sir Keir called the move to bar fans attending “wrong” and said “we will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets” while the Tories, Liberal Democrats and Reform UK also criticised the decision.
On Sunday, Israeli police said that an Israeli Premier League match should not take place as scheduled after trouble reportedly flared prior to kick-off in and around the Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared Hapoel and Maccabi.
Downing Street said the UK Football Policing Unit was “reaching out” to Israeli authorities “to gain an understanding of what happened” on Sunday.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Birmingham MP Mr Khan said: “Shame on you Keir Starmer and shame on you Kemi Badenoch and all the other politicians and news anchors that sought to conflate matters… this was never about religion, it was always about hooliganism.”
He demanded the Prime Minister apologise to chief constable of the West Midlands Craig Guildford, adding: “It is shameful that not a single politician here in Birmingham bar me stood by his decision.”
The Government is expecting West Midlands Police to set out early next week what they would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present.
Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, is expected to raise the issue at a meeting early this week.
