The Government is exploring what extra support police in Birmingham would need to allow fans from both sides into Aston Villa’s match against Maccabi Tel Aviv in November, a spokesman said.
Pressure has been mounting to overturn the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters attending the Europa League match.
The Government is working to make sure the match can go ahead with all fans allowed to attend, a spokesman said.
Antisemitism is a stain on our society that shames us all. Every football fan, whoever they are, should be able to watch their team in safety.
— Shabana Mahmood MP (@ShabanaMahmood) October 17, 2025
This Government is doing everything in our power to ensure all fans can safely attend the game.
He said: “No one should be stopped from watching a football game simply because of who they are.
“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 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 next week.
The decision by authorities in Birmingham to ban fans of the Israeli side was made public on Thursday night.
Since then, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Communities Secretary Steve Reed have been speaking to those involved in the decision to try to find a way to resolve it, while the Home Office has offered support to police in Birmingham in a bid to overturn the ban.
West Midlands Police classified 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.
Birmingham City Council said on Friday the decision to bar visiting fans would not be reviewed unless there was a change in the risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police.
The 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.
Sir Keir Starmer was “angered” by the decision, No 10 said, adding that the Prime Minister was “entitled to speak out on fundamental principles of fairness like this”.
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 made public on Thursday night.
But Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the revelation left the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, with “serious questions to answer” about why her department did “nothing” to avert the ban.
Ms Mahmood posted on X: “Antisemitism is a stain on our society that shames us all.
“Every football fan, whoever they are, should be able to watch their team in safety. This Government is doing everything in our power to ensure all fans can safely attend the game.”
