What we know about Israeli soccer fans being banned from attending Maccabi Tel Aviv’s match against Aston Villa

By Amy Woodyatt, Ben Church, CNN

(CNN) — Maccabi Tel Aviv has said it will not accept any prospective ticket allocation from Aston Villa following a ban on the Israeli soccer club’s fans from attending a Europa League game in Birmingham next month due to security concerns.

The ban was put into place by local authorities in England and triggered condemnation from many politicians, sports organizations and Jewish groups, who have since tried to reverse the decision.

“The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi Tel Aviv said in a statement published to X on Monday.

Here’s what we know about the ban and the subsequent reaction.

Why was a ban on traveling Maccabi fans put in place?

Aston Villa said that the decision was made following an instruction from the city of Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which provides health and safety guidance at events and issues safety certificates for matches at Villa Park.

The SAG wrote to Villa and European soccer governing body UEFA advising that no away fans should be permitted to attend the game, which takes place on November 6.

Last week, West Midlands Police (WMP) said in a statement that it had deemed the match to be high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents” and that it agreed with the decision by local authorities to ban traveling fans.

“Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety,” said WMP.

“We remain steadfast in our support all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms.”

What happened this past weekend?

Days after the decision, the Tel Aviv soccer derby between Hapoel and Maccabi was canceled on Sunday after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots” – the latest episode of fan unrest involving Maccabi fans.

The Israeli Premier League match was due to be played at Bloomfield Stadium, which is shared by the two rivals, but videos on social media showed fans clashing with police both inside and outside the area.

In a statement Sunday, Israel Police said that 12 civilians and three police officers were injured in the unrest, with nine people arrested. Authorities said that a further 16 people were detained for questioning.

Footage released by police showed pyrotechnics and smoke grenades being thrown from the stands before kickoff, and police said the decision to cancel the match was made due to “endangerment of human life.”

This comes almost a year after Maccabi supporters were beaten and injured in violent clashes in Amsterdam ahead of a Europa League game against Ajax, which Dutch authorities condemned as antisemitic.

What have politicians said about the ban?

On Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said that the UK government was “saddened” by Maccabi Tel Aviv’s decision to turn down its ticket allocation for the match but “respect(s) the club’s right to do so.”

The spokesperson told reporters: “This government wants a Britain built for all. We will never accept antisemitism on our streets. The focus now is to ensure the game moves ahead safely and that Jewish people across the country feel secure in their communities.”

UK authorities had previously sought to reverse the ban on Maccabi fans from attending the game at Villa Park.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last week that it was the “wrong decision,” adding that the “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, meanwhile, said that the government would “find the resources” to allow Maccabi fans to attend the match next month.

She added that the situation came “against the backdrop of rising antisemitism here and across the world, and an attack on a synagogue in Manchester in which two innocent men were killed.”

What was Maccabi’s response?

In addition to declining any possible ticket allocation to Villa Park, Maccabi said in a statement: “As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt. Inflammatory rhetoric, trafficking in half-truths is never healthy, but in this particular case the remarks being generated are of the most concerning variety.”

The statement added: “We acknowledge the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely, and are grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community and society at large.”

“We as a club believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart and no one should feel unsafe for simply wanting to come and support their team nor feel any hesitation about being accompanied by family and friends.”

Maccabi said it looked forward to “being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future,” adding that it hoped “circumstances will change.”

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CNN’s James Frater contributed to reporting.