Maccabi Tel Aviv Rejects Tickets for Aston Villa Match

Maccabi Tel Aviv announced it will decline any ticket allocation for its Europa League trip to Aston Villa on November 6, saying the wellbeing and safety of supporters is paramount after “hard lessons learned” and a toxic atmosphere of “hate-filled falsehoods.” The decision follows Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, which acted on a West Midlands Police risk assessment citing current intelligence and previous incidents and ruled visiting fans should be barred. The ban provoked strong political criticism from figures including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who warned it risks excluding Jewish people and urged authorities to find resources to allow attendance while noting the final call rests with police. Maccabi said it would not accept any allocation even if the ruling is overturned. Local tensions have already led to the cancellation of the Maccabi–Hapoel Tel Aviv derby after fan clashes. Authorities continue to assess policing resources and engage with Israeli officials over security concerns.