Maccabi Tel Aviv football club banned

UK Police to investigate recent football violence in Tel Aviv.

Maremia

UK Police to investigate recent football violence in Tel Aviv.

I don’t understand that.

UK police to carry out an investigation in another country.

Have the Israeli police force requested their help?

The police force are obviously investigating the recent hooliganism after the Tel Aviv derby when the match was stopped due to violent behaviour by Maccabi fans and the opposing team’s fans. It was quite horrendous and obviously the police want any info/intel that will help them make a decision with regard to allowing Maccabi fans to attend the Aston Villa match. It could even be the case that Israeli police will promise to detain the main ringleaders and perpetrators of the violence in order to allow other fans to go to the match and UK police are making sure this happens.
Quite extraordinary lengths to go to, have never seen this before and I come from a football mad family. It certainly smacks of appeasement rather than an investigation.

Ah, gathering information not investigating in the formal sense of a police investigation.

I don’t think they have the authority to make the Israeli police promise anything 🤔

Still it would be excellent if they could identify and prevent the “hooligan” element from coming.

And we could prevent our troublemakers from gathering too.

Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will not accept any ticket allocation from Aston Villa should the decision to ban their supporters from next month's Europa League match be overturned.
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) - the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches - informed Villa no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in Birmingham last week.
The decision was widely condemned, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy pledging that the government will "find the resources" to allow Maccabi fans to attend earlier on Monday.
But Maccabi Tel Aviv now say supporters will not travel for safety reasons.
A club statement said, external: "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.
"We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future."
On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as "high risk" based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including "violent clashes and hate crime offences" between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam, in November 2024.
Nandy said ministers were working together to fund any necessary policing operation to allow away fans to attend, and the SAG would review the decision if West Midlands Police changed its risk assessment.
Nandy said the matter was wider than matchday security, adding it 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".
On Sunday, the Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off, after what police described as "public disorder and violent riots".
Maccabi say the decision to call that game off was not down to their supporters and thanked the UK government for its efforts.
They said: "We believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart.
"Our fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behaviour is an attempt to distort reality.
"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."
Aston Villa previously told their matchday stewards they did not have to work at the Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture, saying they understood some "may have concerns".
Following Thursday's announcement by the club about the impending fixture, Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move "wrong" and said: "We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets."
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Dont understand above post. How is it distorting reality about what happened in Holland. Surely it's best you avoid violence, I want my family to enjoy a match and come home safely. Villa is our team , they should make the decision along with the police.

Allsorts

Dont understand above post. How is it distorting reality about what happened in Holland. Surely it's best you avoid violence, I want my family to enjoy a match and come home safely. Villa is our team , they should make the decision along with the police.

My interpretation is that the Maccabi management have taken a responsible decision and have refused to accept an away allocation of tickets. They didn't want to lose face, so they've framed it as looking after the safety of their fans and not acknowledging their fans' role in causing trouble. I think that's OK because what they're really doing is trying to sort out the problems themselves. Other teams are further along the road and have identified individual troublemakers, so can target those whom they ban.

Lisa Nandy has gone right down in my estimation. I know her parliamentary seat is threatened by Reform, but what she said was cowardice (IMO). She is giving in to a false narrative and I'm very glad that Maccabi has made the announcement it has.

Babs03

The police force are obviously investigating the recent hooliganism after the Tel Aviv derby when the match was stopped due to violent behaviour by Maccabi fans and the opposing team’s fans. It was quite horrendous and obviously the police want any info/intel that will help them make a decision with regard to allowing Maccabi fans to attend the Aston Villa match. It could even be the case that Israeli police will promise to detain the main ringleaders and perpetrators of the violence in order to allow other fans to go to the match and UK police are making sure this happens.
Quite extraordinary lengths to go to, have never seen this before and I come from a football mad family. It certainly smacks of appeasement rather than an investigation.

I agree. It's extraordinary. It shows what lengths the government will go to to cover its back. I know somebody who lives, breathes and eats football and he's never known anything like this attempt to let hooligans follow a team - it's usually the opposite.

Back to Starmer's involvement.
We all let our opinions be known on GN, fair enough, but we're not running the country. My feeling is that Starmer really should keep his nose out of things like this. It isn't the first time either. He really doesn't do himself any favours with what he comes out with as knee-jerk reactions. Why does he do it, only to get eggs on his face? It sort of shows a lack of judgment and turns him into a bit of a Trump behaviour wise. I'd advise him that less is more when it comes to jumping into any fray.
Have we heard from him?

Maccabi have made the right decision to reject tickets to the game at Aston villa. They know that some of the fans are disruptive and violent
and they didn't want any more problems than they have already.

I agree that the labour government have shown cowardice over this issue.
The safety and well being of the British public should be thier first concern but clearly isn't.

Lathyrus3

You said yourself that it’s about maintaining public order.

About both the fans and the protesters who intend to gather if the game goes ahead. Whether there are fans f any kind allowed or not..

The issue is not about football fans from Israel or anywhere abroad. It is about a powerful protest group who have ensured their desires are met through the threat of force that the police cannot manage.

Today the Israelis. Tomorrow………?

I’m also agreeing with Oreo. Yes, Maccabi fans have an awful reputation but police can manage that if they have the right resources. Add to the mix the potential for fights if anti Israeli groups arrive. The comment about showing no mercy shiukd not be ignored, an incitement to violence

The Maccabi fans are not victims, they are more than capable of starting trouble and fighting any opposition, with horrible chants about raping Palestinian women and about dead Palestinian children. So of course the cry ‘show no mercy’ is horrible, but let’s not assume the Maccabi fans are not ready and able to spout their own vile venom in return.
This one sided version of things is risible.

www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/maccabi-fans-filmed-chanting-racist-slogans-against-arabs-upon-arrival-at-ben-gurion-from-amsterdam/

Surely it’s not one sided Babs?

Exposing the desire and incitement to violence where it exists is balanced, isn’t it?

That reply was to Lathyrus3

Lathyrus3

Surely it’s not one sided Babs?

Exposing the desire and incitement to violence where it exists is balanced, isn’t it?

Yes so can you now say that this is as much the fault of Maccabi fans who have shown a desire to incite violence as anyone else.

I wouldn't take much notice of football chants; they are notoriously awful, fuelled by drink.
Villa have a reputation for fairly mild chants, but my OH and DS are both season ticket holders at Villa and say racist remarks fill the air aimed at the usual minorities but never Jews. People are removed and banned but there are always others to take their place.

Lisa Nandy has gone right up in my estimation.It’s probably the right decision from maccabi to not take up ticket allocation for the safety of their fans from pro Palestinian trouble makers who aren’t even football fans, but leaves Villa Park, the West Midlands police the SAG and ultimately the UK with embarrassing amounts of egg on their faces.That we bow down to antisemitism.

I think the main difference between the British football fan and the Israeli football fan is politics.

In Britain, football, is almost entirely divorced from politics, but in Israel, football and politics are totally intertwined, thus the visceral hatred of Arabs, the foul racist rhetoric aimed at players, and the far right fascist politics that come with a hard core group of the fans, is why this is so toxic.

What is most alarming for me is that Robinson and his followers would be undoubtedly at the match egging them on in spirit if not in body, claiming patriotism whilst fighting out police.

Maccabi fans shouting kill all Arabs and F*ck Palestine will cause violence too so glad they aren't coming.
People need to understand that the situation in Gaza has upset many around the world but I don't blame all Israelis and they should be able to join sporting events without being harassed. There were protesters at a cycling event in Spain that had to be stopped as the protesters were harassing the cyclists. This should not be allowed. Those cyclists were only there to race not to cause trouble as some of the Maccabi fans have done at several venues.

Babs03

Lathyrus3

Surely it’s not one sided Babs?

Exposing the desire and incitement to violence where it exists is balanced, isn’t it?

Yes so can you now say that this is as much the fault of Maccabi fans who have shown a desire to incite violence as anyone else.

Yes, they have shown themselves up. Over the years, they're not the only team whose behaviour has been unacceptable, but there is no reason why they should be treated any differently.

Here are some British clubs who have been involved in matches, where teams were banned:

Leeds vs Galatasaray (2000) – Galatasaray fans banned after fatal stabbings in Istanbul

Rangers vs Napoli (2022) – no away fans at either leg due to safety/policing risk

Man Utd vs Galatasaray (2023) – ticket sales to Turkish addresses blocked

Millwall vs Ferencváros (2004) – away fans barred on police advice

West Ham vs Dinamo Zagreb (2021) – no public sale to visiting supporters after prior clashes

Chelsea vs Fenerbahçe (2008) – heavy away restrictions after first-leg crowd trouble

Liverpool vs Roma (2018) – partial fan travel ban after violence in first leg

Tottenham vs Ajax (2019) – limited away tickets after hooligan concerns flagged by police

Celtic vs Lazio (2019) – visiting fans banned by UEFA for violent and racist conduct

Rangers vs Slavia Prague (2021) – severe restrictions after prior racist and violent incidents

I don't remember anybody making the kind of fuss they are about Maccabi Tel Aviv. I certainly don't remember any government trying to overturn the police's judgement.

Babs03

Lathyrus3

Surely it’s not one sided Babs?

Exposing the desire and incitement to violence where it exists is balanced, isn’t it?

Yes so can you now say that this is as much the fault of Maccabi fans who have shown a desire to incite violence as anyone else.

Oh yes both at fault.

No problem with saying that.

How about you?

Oreo

Lisa Nandy has gone right up in my estimation.It’s probably the right decision from maccabi to not take up ticket allocation for the safety of their fans from pro Palestinian trouble makers who aren’t even football fans, but leaves Villa Park, the West Midlands police the SAG and ultimately the UK with embarrassing amounts of egg on their faces.That we bow down to antisemitism.

Nandy should have checked out the facts first - as should those who approve of her.

Yes Lathyrus3 I blame both sides, always.