A senior police officer has issued an apology to Birmingham's Jewish community after telling MPs that some representatives had expressed support for the controversial decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a major football match.
Controversy Over High-Risk Classification
The incident centres on the Europa League match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which took place at Villa Park in Birmingham on 6 November. The decision to prohibit supporters of the Israeli team was made by Birmingham's safety advisory group, relying in part on police intelligence.
West Midlands Police had classified the fixture as high risk, citing alleged violent clashes and hate crime offences during a previous Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Ajax in Amsterdam in 2024. However, this intelligence has since been disputed. The Sunday Times reported that Dutch police have contested the accuracy of the information used.
Apology Follows Parliamentary Scrutiny
The apology came after Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara gave evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on Monday alongside Chief Constable Craig Guildford and Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster. O'Hara told MPs that some Jewish representatives had said they did not want Maccabi fans to attend.
This claim sparked significant concern. A spokesperson for West Midlands Police stated on Saturday: "We recognise that this has been a difficult time for our local Jewish community... it was never the intention of the officer to imply that there were members of the Jewish community who had explicitly expressed support for the exclusion of Maccabi fans."
It was subsequently reported that O'Hara has written to Jewish representatives in Birmingham to apologise personally.
Political and Diplomatic Fallout
The original decision to ban the fans caused a political uproar, with Labour leader Keir Starmer saying he was "angered by the decision". The match itself, which required a significant police presence, also drew pro-Israel and pro-Palestine protesters to the area.
The Israeli embassy in London had previously criticised the police's use of the "disproven allegations" from Amsterdam, calling it "profoundly misleading, extremely troubling, and risks inflaming tensions".
West Midlands Police has stated it provided a full explanation to MPs and will continue to engage with the Home Affairs Committee and a review commissioned by the Home Secretary.
