Maccabi Tel Aviv football club banned

I'm not really sure what's behind the ban in Tel Aviv - I expect more details will be published later. I wonder if anybody is going to accuse the Israeli police of being antisemitic.

As I found out last year when I was chatting to somebody who spent his teenage years in Israel, those two teams need to sort out their fans, regardless of anything which is happening in Gaza.

Aston Villa should have considered the implications of hosting Maccabi Tel Aviv football team and its inherent security risks first, rather than announcing the game then complaining about possible violence and unleashing accusations of anti-Semitism.
But as ever, football is only concerned about itself.

Why isn't done thing done about Maccabi fans in their win country, why are they allowed to travel. No one wants them.
Hope the match goes ahead but without these people. All this messing about is daft, it's a safety issue.

eazybee

Aston Villa should have considered the implications of hosting Maccabi Tel Aviv football team and its inherent security risks first, rather than announcing the game then complaining about possible violence and unleashing accusations of anti-Semitism.
But as ever, football is only concerned about itself.

I don't think it works like that. It's a Europa League match, so UEFA will have organised the venue.

West Midlands Police then decided it would be "high risk" and informed Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which is responsible for issuing safety certificates.

Aston Villa has had nothing to do with the outcome. Ultimately, the police decided it doesn't have the resources to manage the fans safely, given Maccabi Tel Aviv's past record for racism and violence.

As I said earlier, I don't want our government to tell the police to overturn decisions.
This is what's started to happen in America and then you could have a police state.

Let's keep our police and politicians apart.

NotSpaghetti

As I said earlier, I don't want our government to tell the police to overturn decisions.
This is what's started to happen in America and then you could have a police state.

Let's keep our police and politicians apart.

This is a very important point, and something we should certainly not overlook.

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, the whole derby match has been cancelled because of 'violent riots'.
BBC online just now.

Maremia

Meanwhile, in Tel Aviv, the whole derby match has been cancelled because of 'violent riots'.
BBC online just now.

I've just seen this. Many hurt in the violence between two Israeli teams including police. So bad that the match was called off.
Do we really want this team here? Those who think this Maccabi team should come to Aston Villa need to think again.
Nobody can say this was antisemitism.

I wonder if Starmer regrets getting involved in the situation after the violence in Israel.

It is something he can look into, before he decides what to plan.

I can tell that many on here aren’t football fans or they would know more about derby matches ( anywhere in the world can be pretty bad) and the core of fans who are violent.
Celtic and Rangers anyone? Same in France, Spain, Italy and so on. Then there are the Eastern European fans!!
I think you either ban all international matches, or if they come here and they instigate unacceptable levels of violence you ban them ( like the Polish fans at Villa Park).
What you don’t do is ban them because they’re from Israel.
The whole focus of the ban on them is not football violences but because they’re Jews and the area around Aston has a high proportion of Muslim residents.
That’s really what all this is about.

AGAA4

I wonder if Starmer regrets getting involved in the situation after the violence in Israel.

Yes I have wondered that.

I do think the point about the separation of police and politics is really important.

The police look at security and risk and nothing else. To suggest otherwise is to politicise the police, which is a very dangerous road to travel.

Oreo

I can tell that many on here aren’t football fans or they would know more about derby matches ( anywhere in the world can be pretty bad) and the core of fans who are violent.
Celtic and Rangers anyone? Same in France, Spain, Italy and so on. Then there are the Eastern European fans!!
I think you either ban all international matches, or if they come here and they instigate unacceptable levels of violence you ban them ( like the Polish fans at Villa Park).
What you don’t do is ban them because they’re from Israel.
The whole focus of the ban on them is not football violences but because they’re Jews and the area around Aston has a high proportion of Muslim residents.
That’s really what all this is about.

No it isn't. Maccabi Tel Aviv have a terrible reputation, even in Israel. This is not about antisemitism. It's about a team which frequently chants about anti-Arab racism. They're not welcome in an area, where they despise the inhabitants and have shown what they're capable of doing. Simples!

They're not being banned because they're from Israel Oreo, they're being banned because they cause so much trouble. The reason that the whole focus of the ban is because they're Jews is due to the false narrative that this ban is rooted in antisemitism; it isn't.

Oreo I don't know how many derby matches have become so violent that they are cancelled.
The police want to protect British citizens. That is their job and any fans with a record of violence should not be here wherever they are from.

Maccabi fans brazenly celebrated the killing of children, chanted the most vile racist abuse and caused mayhem in Amsterdam. They participated in violent behaviour last night against a rival Tel Aviv club. Jews are not being banned. Racist hooligans are.

West Midlands Police and Brummies are now being bullied and smeared. Instead of calling out the dangerous anti-Arab and anti-Black racism of Maccabi fans and protecting the real victims, the thugs are being indulged. Because they are Israeli. Once more the double standards when it comes to Israel are on full display

Keir Starmer should withdraw his condemnation of this decision and support it.

Keep insisting that this is antisemitism not only inflames the situation when there is no need but muddies the waters with regard to antisemitism making a mockery of what is a very real prejudice that makes so many peoples lives extremely difficult.
Call it what it is. Football hooliganism.

Antisemitism is a very real prejudice and makes so many peoples lives extremely difficult and much fear

Babs03

Keep insisting that this is antisemitism not only inflames the situation when there is no need but muddies the waters with regard to antisemitism making a mockery of what is a very real prejudice that makes so many peoples lives extremely difficult.
Call it what it is. Football hooliganism.

I agree with you. Calling this antisemitism really undermines what antisemitism actually is. The fans haven't been banned because they're Jewish or Israeli, but because they're thugs who have no qualms about provoking people, in the same way Polish fans and German Eintracht Frankfurt fans have been banned. Nobody wants people like that running round their streets.

Anniebach

Antisemitism is a very real prejudice and makes so many peoples lives extremely difficult and much fear

Er ... yes, I think most people know that, but it doesn't have anything to do with banning football fans.

Smileless2012

Keir Starmer should withdraw his condemnation of this decision and support it.

He seems so keen not to appear like Corbyn that he's looking silly.

@growstuff yes Starmer is looking increasingly stupid over this as are media outlets who first reported it as antisemitism.
I think this really undermines the police force and ignores the fact that they have intel regarding fans who are known to various authorities, in Israel as well, and are highly likely to become violent and cause mayhem. These fans are on social media inciting violence already with other fans, that’s how hooligans today organise their jollies.

He's looking very silly growstuff as are others who are calling this decision antisemitism.

I totally agree Babs.

I would imagine that the police local to any football stadium have a pretty concise list of which away teams are the ones to watch out for. It annoys me that, as someone who is quite happy for my own team or the England teams fans to be banned for bad behaviour why should I support another team with disruptive fans being allowed to play here because, to do so makes me anti semitic.