Strict British security ahead of Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv Europa League match amid planned protests

More than 700 police officers were deployed in the British city of Birmingham on Thursday as protests were planned for a football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa, excluding visiting Israeli fans.

The British government vowed last month to overturn a ban on Maccabi fans from attending the Europa League match in the central England city, which has a significant Muslim population, after widespread criticism of the decision from local security advisers and police.

However, the Israeli club later announced that it would refuse all tickets to its fans, citing security concerns.

Villa has said it is not selling tickets for the vacant part of their Villa Park stadium.

Birmingham, Britain’s second largest city, has been the scene of regular pro-Palestinian demonstrations over the past two years.

Local police said protests by several groups were planned near Villa Park on Thursday, including a pro-Palestinian demonstration demanding Israel’s ban from international football.

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A pro-Israeli group has also organized a Maccabi Solidarity Rally, with both protests set to begin around 11:30 PM IST (1800 GMT), amid a heavy police presence, two hours before the match was due to start.

“We have experience of monitoring high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and we have been working closely with various faith and local community groups for weeks to listen to their views and concerns,” West Midlands Police said in a statement.

Videos on social media showed signs near the stadium reading ‘no war games allowed’ and ‘Zionists not welcome’, while far-right channels led by Tommy Robinson have made Islamophobic statements about the match and planned protests.

Police had classified the match as ‘high risk’, citing ‘violent clashes and hate crimes’ during a Europa League match in Amsterdam between Maccabi and local team Ajax last November.

That match led to two days of clashes between locals and Israeli fans in the Dutch city.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to reject tickets also came after Israeli police called off an Israeli Premier League match between the club and city rival Hapoel due to “riots” between rival fans.

The team has insisted its supporters were not involved in the unrest and criticized “hate-filled falsehoods” about its supporters for creating a “toxic atmosphere”.

Aston Villa have urged supporters not to display political symbols during the match – a practice banned under protocols set by UEFA, European football’s governing body.

Ayoub Khan, the independent MP for the area covering Villa Park who was elected last year on a pro-Palestinian ticket, said there was a “large concentration of Muslims” in the local area who had expressed fears about racism.

Published on November 6, 2025