Downing Street has pledged action to resolve the ban on fans of an Israeli football team attending a match in Birmingham, as it emerged the Government was warned of the proposals last week.
Discussions are happening âat pace, across Governmentâ to overturn the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the clubâs Europa League match against Aston Villa in November, No 10 has said.
Authorities in Birmingham are facing mounting pressure to overturn the ban, with the Government stepping in on Thursday evening.
However, ministers face fresh questions after the UK Football Policing Unit said the Home Office was briefed âlast weekâ that ârestrictions on visiting fansâ could be among the measures taken to police the November 6 fixture at Villa Park.
Senior officers at the unit backed the ban, saying it was âimportant that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisionsâ.
Conversations aimed at overturning the ban include Home Office offers of support to police in Birmingham, and a phone call between Communities Secretary Steve Reed and Birmingham City Council.
Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is âmeeting officials to discuss what more can be done to try to find a way through to resolve this, and what more can be done to allow fans to attend the game safelyâ, a No 10 spokesman said.
He added: âYou can expect to hear further updates today. I wonât pre-empt the conversations, but these are happening at pace, across Government, with all the relevant groups to find a way to resolve this.â
The Prime Minister has been âangered by the decisionâ, the spokesman also said, adding: âWhile of course this is an operational decision, we are perfectly entitled to speak out on fundamental principles of fairness like this.â
He said: âThe 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.â
The Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match was classified high risk by West Midlands Police based on âcurrent intelligence and previous incidentsâ.
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.
Birminghamâs safety advisory group (SAG), which brings together the council and police force, has faced widespread criticism from across the political spectrum for its decision to implement the ban.
The West Midlandsâ police and crime commissioner Simon Foster called for Birmingham council officials and West Midlands Police to review the decision.
The review would âdetermine whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aimâ, he said.
Labour mayor of the West Midlands Richard Parker suggested the Government could finance the policing costs should the ban be overturned.
He wrote on social media: âWhilst I respect West Midlands Police, if the Government are willing to support in terms of resource then there should be a review of the decision that has been made.â
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, was among those who criticised the ban.
She said: âI do wonder what exactly has become of UK society. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying: âNo Jews allowedâ.
âWhat has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.â
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa Jewish Villans supportersâ club, told BBC Radio 4âs Today programme the decision to ban fans of the Israeli side is âa political message rather than a safety messageâ and there was âno evidence of Maccabiâs fans being particularly violentâ.
Uefa, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi fans could attend the Villa Park fixture.
Jack Angelides, the chief executive of Maccabi Tel Aviv, said he did not want to take security issues lightly but told the BBC the team has travelled to places such as Turkey where he said the sentiment is ânot so kind towards Israeli teamsâ, but the police âwere out in forceâ and there were no incidents.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch urged the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister to âget involvedâ if the police did not reverse its decision to ban Tel Aviv supporters.
She said the Prime minister âneeds to show he has got a backbone and isnât so weak that he will just allow Jewish people to be terrorised hereâ.
