On 6 November, Birmingham side Aston Villa beat the Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0 on the fourth matchday of the Europa League. However, much of the public’s attention was focused on the pre-match protests taking place outside Villa Park. 

The West Midlands Police and Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) decided to ban the away team’s fans from watching the match. Much of the reasoning given for the ban was based on previous incidents of violence and hate crimes when Maccabi had played against Ajax in November 2024. BirminghamLive also stated that some of the individuals involved in this violence and hooliganism had links to the Israel Defence Force (IDF).

The action taken by the SAG received criticism from politicians, as well as some supporters who voiced concerns. Prime Minister Keir Starmer took to X to disclose his uneasiness. Starmer stated that it was the ‘wrong decision’ and that the decision was an act of antisemitism. Sky Sports reported that Villa supporter Adam Selway wore a half-and-half scarf to the match, bearing the colours of both teams. He explained that he didn’t want politics in football and that many Villa fans wanted the away supporters to be present. 

As anticipated by the SAG, protests formed outside Villa Park on the night of the match. Video footage from the Times’ YouTube channel showed several instances of verbal clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Maccabi groups, as well as fan frustrations about the situation created. 

The police were prepared, with over 700 police officers were on duty at the ground, along with police dogs, horses and drones to assist them. Due to the sheer numbers of the officers placed at the scene, physical altercations were largely avoided, and only 11 arrests were made on the night. These were mostly on suspicion of racially aggravated comments.

Despite the protests that had taken place before the game, the match itself was fairly quiet and largely uninterrupted. Approximately 30,000 home fans watched their team struggle for control early on against the winless Maccabi.

In the 38th minute Maccabi midfielder Dor Peretz missed a golden opportunity to put the away side ahead, striking the ball at straight at Emi Martinez from close range. Just a few minutes later, Aston Villa found the breakthrough with Ian Maatsen. The Dutch full-back squeezed one in from a tight angle, tidily lifting the ball over the keeper at the near post. 

In the 55th minute, Villa centre back Ezri Konsa won a seemingly soft penalty after being slightly held and thus impeded while in the box, subsequently winning a penalty in the process. The spot-kick was convincingly converted, giving the home team a 2-0 lead, enough for the win. The result lifted Villa to sixth place in the Europa League table, while Maccabi remained winless in the competition.

Regardless of the final score, the match was primarily noted for the security concerns and the ban on away fans.  The situation has reignited discussions about the intersection of politics and sport.  A review of the decision to ban Maccabi supporters is expected.

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