Maccabi fans’ Dutch rampage triggered Villa match ban

POLICE FEARED ISRAELI YOBS DESCRIBED AS 'EXPERIENCED FIGHTERS'

- JANE HAYNES News Reporter

Police hold back pro-Palestine protesters on Thursday night

FEARS of “running street battles” between Israeli football supporters and pro-Palestine protest groups in the heart of Birmingham was a major reason for banning away fans from the controversial Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv match, a police report has revealed.

The prospect of the Israeli club’s hardcore fans targeting Muslim communities and inciting confrontations in a repeat of trouble experienced at a Europa League game in Amsterdam triggered the ‘high risk’ ruling.

Other options were considered but a ban on the club's fans was deemed the best option.

We can now reveal the full details of the police’s thinking that resulted in the ban, which was condemned by politicians including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

In their report, presented to Birmingham Safety Advisory Group, they highlighted the factors they had considered, based on intelligence and information from multiple sources.

But the most telling was the insight provided by Dutch police.