London aims to overturn Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban for Aston Villa clash | OneFootball

The British government assured on Friday that it is doing everything possible to allow fans of the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv to attend the match against Aston Villa, following the controversy sparked by the decision to ban their presence in the stadium.

“The government is working with the police and other partners to do everything in its power to ensure the match can be played safely, with all fans present,” a government spokesperson said in a statement.

“We are examining what resources and additional support are needed,” the spokesperson added.

Aston Villa announced on Thursday that, for security reasons, fans of the Israeli team would not be able to attend the Europa League match scheduled for November 6 at Villa Park in Birmingham, based on recommendations from local police.

The decision, unusual in the United Kingdom, drew widespread criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who called it “mistaken.”

“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets,” the leader declared on X, less than a month after an attack on a Manchester synagogue that left two dead.

In Israel, Foreign Minister Gideon Saar denounced the measure as “shameful” and instructed the British authority to suspend the decision, while the Israeli team’s CEO, Jack Angelides, expressed his “dismay.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were violently attacked on the streets of Amsterdam in November 2024 on the occasion of a Europa League match against Ajax.

The episode culminated in two days of tension in which Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans, vandalized a taxi, and burned a Palestinian flag.

Amid the Jewish community’s concern over the rise in antisemitic acts since Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s retaliations in Gaza, Keir Starmer on Thursday visited the facilities of an organization responsible for the security of Jewish schools and places of worship in the country.

During the visit, the prime minister affirmed his “responsibility” to address the sense of insecurity.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.