British Police Identify Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans as Main Security Risk for Aston Villa Match

British police have concluded that traveling Maccabi Tel Aviv fans pose the greatest potential threat of violence at their team’s upcoming Europa League match against Aston Villa in Birmingham on November 6.

The police assessment was a key factor behind the decision to ban Israeli supporters from attending the game — a move that Aston Villa said followed “an instruction” from Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, based on advice from West Midlands Police.

The decision, announced last week, has drawn backlash and accusations of antisemitism, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling the move “wrong” and urging that Britain must not tolerate antisemitism.

However, according to a report by The Guardian on Tuesday, the police intelligence suggested that the main concern was not threats against Maccabi fans, but rather the risk of violence from them. Sources told the newspaper that West Midlands Police received intelligence indicating that scores of Maccabi supporters with records of violent and racist behavior were expected to travel to the UK for the match.

Dutch authorities reportedly warned British police that Maccabi fans were involved in violent incidents in Amsterdam last year, including random attacks on Muslims. UK police feared any disorder instigated by Israeli fans could escalate into wider clashes and reprisal violence.

“The biggest risk was always the extreme Maccabi fans who want to fight,” a source familiar with the assessments told The Guardian. The intelligence findings were also shared with the UK’s football policing unit, which supported the conclusions.

Officials estimated that ensuring security for the game could have required deploying at least 1,500 additional riot police officers nationwide, at a cost of around £6 million ($8 million).

Despite Starmer’s criticism of the ban, the findings suggest the restriction was rooted in safety concerns linked to the Israeli club’s supporters, who have a history of racist and anti-Arab chants.

Tensions around the team remain high. Maccabi’s domestic match against Hapoel Tel Aviv was canceled on Sunday after violent clashes broke out before kickoff. The club later announced it would not sell tickets for the Aston Villa match to its supporters.