Maccabi Tel Aviv boss Zarko Lazetic sad to see fans banned for Aston Villa match | OneFootball

Maccabi Tel Aviv manager Zarko Lazetic says it is sad his side’s supporters have been banned from attending the Europa League clash with Aston Villa.

The league phase match at Villa Park has become a major political issue after the Israeli club’s supporters were banned from attending due to fears over their safety.

The decision was made by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, with Villa having no involvement, but it sparked a parliamentary-level debate as prime minister Sir Keir Starmer called it “wrong”.

Maccabi subsequently said they would decline any tickets if the decision was reversed.

Lazetic was keen to keep the focus on the football but agreed it would have been better if his side had their allocation of around 2,000 supporters inside Villa Park.

Asked whether it was sad there will be an empty away section, Serbian Lazetic said: “Yeah, of course.

“Unfair or fair, in the world I am not one to judge that but on the pitch it is 11 against 11 and we will try to do our best.”

More than 700 police officers will be deployed amid a huge security operation, which will involve police horses, police dogs and a drone unit, with several protests planned on Thursday.

West Midlands Police also announced on Wednesday night that it will be using Section 60 powers – the ability to “stop and search people without the need to have reasonable grounds”.

Several pro-Palestine protests are expected to take place in the vicinity of Villa Park while it is unclear whether any counter protests will take place or whether Maccabi fans will attend without a ticket.

Some schools in the area are also closing early to avoid any possible issues, according to reports.

Aston Villa fans have also been warned about displaying any political images or flags, as per UEFA regulations, on an evening which is expected to be highly charged.

Earlier, journalists were told not to ask any non-football questions at Villa boss Unai Emery’s pre-match press conference at the training ground, where two pro-Palestine supporters stood outside.

The Spaniard was protected from speaking on the issue and was only interested in football.

He said: “It’s Europe and we are playing in Europe against very good teams. Firstly, it’s about our respect for the Europa League, for the competition. Secondly, it’s about our respect for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“The objective is to be in the top 24 but the first priority we can achieve to be in the top eight is better. We’re playing the game tomorrow to really get our best collectively.