Eleven arrests and ‘death to IDF chants’ as protests overshadow Aston Villa’s win against Israeli champions Maccabi Tel Aviv | OneFootball

Three points for Villa and one huge sigh of relief for the people of Aston and its surrounding areas.

A night that left so many fearing the worst ended with a straightforward win for Unai Emery’s team and, more importantly, no widespread disorder as what appeared to be a successful security operation involving 700 police officers from 10 different forces led to just 11 arrests.

Maccabi Tel Aviv had arrived without any supporters allowed into the ground, banned because Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group ruled last month that their presence would mean a threat of widespread trouble. And from that decision’s fallout, with Sir Keir Starmer among those to criticise the SAG, grew conjecture and speculation of chaos on the streets of the Second City.

What transpired was a series of noisy protests on the streets of B6, but, fortunately, no real evidence of violence.

If the atmosphere was tense and noisy outside before and, by several accounts, during the match, the feeling inside the stadium was uncertain and disconnected. So severe were the warnings of trouble that many had chosen to stay at home and there were empty seats visible in every section of the ground.

The Villa fans who turned up were quick to attempt some humour directed at the vacant away end with chants of: “You’ve seen the Villa, now f*** off home”, “You’ve only come to see the Villa”, “Shall we sing a song for you” and “It’s all very quiet over there”.

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Maccabi Tel Aviv were barred from bringing fans into Villa Park for their Europa League clash (Martin Rickett/PA Wire)

Yet those quickly faded, to be replaced by a low hum of chatter for much of a rhythm-less first half. Aside from a small number of half-and-half scarves (presumably bought as a peculiar memento for this very peculiar occasion), there was little else worth noting in the stands.

On the streets surrounding Villa Park it was a different story, even if there was, fortunately, no violence.

As kick-off approached, a pro-Israel protest was penned into a basketball court and playground behind the Doug Ellis Stand while a far larger pro-Palestine group had formed on Trinity Road, although it was nowhere close to the outlandish 50,000 predicted by one organiser earlier this week.

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Pro-Palestine protests filled the streets outside Villa Park ahead of kick-off (AFP/Getty)

By late morning, their posters and banners were being attached to lampposts, with Villa staff moving quickly to demand that one reading “Boycott Israel” be removed from the ground’s gates. The messages of “Shooting babies in Gaza, playing games in Birmingham” and “Give Zionism the red card” remained attached to public property outside. Reminders of this being a peaceful demonstration were mixed with inflammatory chants of “From the river to the sea” and “Death to the IDF.”

Local independent MP Ayoub Khan was among those to give an address. “When you see the images of children being massacred, when you understand that more than 800 athletes have been killed in Gaza, then you will understand the moral argument that if we can ban Russian football teams then the right moral stance is you ban any Israeli team from participating,” he told the crowd before conveying his wish that Villa defeat their visitors by a significant margin. That was met by the loudest cheer, with many passing matchgoers joining in.

Not every Villa fan was comfortable with their presence, however, and a line of police on horseback intervened when a small group of supporters began chanting Tommy Robinson’s name close to the 8pm kick-off. Earlier, when one woman, in her twenties, stood with the flag of Israel stretched out, she was met by a predictable verbal reaction before being escorted away for her own safety. It simmered for some time but never boiled over.

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Some Villa fans clashed with protestors as police intervened (Getty Images)

Back inside, the Maccabi players had been met with complete disinterest when they emerged for their pre-match warm-ups and there was hardly a murmur when their line-up was read out over a PA turned up louder than normal. Indeed, the only whiff of discontent shown in the opening 15 minutes was towards centre-back Mohamed Ali Camara, who twice went down injured before being substituted.

Time-wasting from goalkeeper Roi Mishpati brought more jeers from the home fans, yet the atmosphere remained unmistakably weird. It did not help that Villa’s first sustained bit of pressure in the final third arrived with 35 minutes on the clock as Morgan Rogers and Donyell Malen both went close, while Maatsen turned down a chance to shoot by delivering a low cross instead.

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Ian Maatsen broke the deadlock for Aston Villa after a disjointed half (AP)

He did not pass up a second opportunity entering first-half added time, though, when he delivered a swerving effort from a tight angle in off the woodwork following fine build-up play from Morgan Rogers.

Malen, leading the line with Ollie Watkins given a rest from the starting XI, made it 2-0 in the 59th minute by coolly converting a soft penalty, awarded when Ezri Konsa was judged to have been fouled by Elad Madmon on the edge of the area.

That it would be deemed a bit of controversy worth talking about on a night that promised so much trouble was some comfort to take from an occasion when, really, there were never going to be any winners.