Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv has made the extraordinary decision to decline all tickets for its supporters at the 6 November fixture against Aston Villa in Birmingham, citing safety concerns triggered by far-right activist Tommy Robinson’s vow to “defend” the club’s fans.
The unexpected move came after British government ministers repeatedly condemned West Midlands Police’s decision to ban away supporters as “antisemitic” and promised to overturn it – only for the club itself to determine the situation had become too dangerous.
According to Jewish News, Maccabi’s decision stemmed largely from Robinson’s intervention, with the notorious pro-Israel activist urging followers to protest against “Islamist activists” and posting photographs of himself wearing a Maccabi Tel Aviv shirt.
Robinson Currently in Israel
Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, is currently in Israel at the invitation of Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.
Chikli last week disparagingly called British Prime Minister Keir Starmer a “Palestinian” – rhetoric that demonstrates the inflammatory political context surrounding the match.
Robinson’s criminal record and association with far-right extremism made his public backing of Maccabi fans toxic rather than helpful, the club concluded.
Club: “Risk Became Unacceptable”
Jewish News quoted a source within Maccabi Tel Aviv explaining the difficult decision: “The risk posed by anti-Israel protesters was substantial, but we thought we had a plan to prevent them from prevailing. But that changed with the intervention of Tommy Robinson.”
“There was now also danger that our supporters could be falsely associated with his far-right activities, in front of anti-Israel protestors already out to get them.”
“With Robinson’s supporters potentially posing as Maccabi fans on the streets of Birmingham, we concluded that the risk had become unacceptable for innocent fans who just want to watch their team play.”
The assessment reveals how Robinson’s “support” actually endangered rather than protected Israeli fans by attracting additional threats and creating impossible security challenges.
Amsterdam Violence Context
The Birmingham match had already been classified as high-risk following Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters’ involvement in serious violence in Amsterdam last November.
Amsterdam City Council recently banned the club from the Dutch capital after fans caused mayhem by rampaging through the city before and after their Europa League match against Ajax.
Western media outlets and politicians initially portrayed the Amsterdam events sympathetically, with some describing counterviolence as a “pogrom” against Maccabi fans.
However, when footage and local media reports contradicted that narrative, revealing Maccabi supporters’ provocative and violent behaviour, coverage of the incidents dimmed considerably.
Maccabi Fans’ Track Record
Video evidence from Amsterdam showed large groups of Maccabi supporters arming themselves with sticks, pipes and rocks, and provoking clashes with Dutch youths.
They were filmed chanting racist songs including “fuck the Arabs” and “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there!” – referencing Israel’s devastating bombardment of the Palestinian territory.
Maccabi fans were also captured ripping down Palestinian flags throughout Amsterdam.
For two hours after the match, between 12.30am and 2.30am, violent incidents spread throughout Amsterdam as local residents confronted the Israeli supporters.
Israeli Derby Also Cancelled
Adding to the absurdity, on Sunday Israeli police cancelled a planned derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv following what authorities described as “public disorder and violent riots.
The domestic cancellation whilst British ministers fought to allow Maccabi fans to travel internationally highlights contradictions in how violence risks are assessed.
Club’s Official Statement
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Monday evening statement claimed: “Various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.
The characterisation of well-documented violence as “isolated incidents” being “exploited” sits awkwardly with the club’s own decision that Birmingham had become too dangerous.
The statement added: “We are also concerned about the intervention of divisive figures who do not represent the values of our Club” – an apparent reference to Robinson without naming him.
UK Government “Deeply Saddened”
A UK government spokesperson said: “The government has been working around the clock to defend a basic principle, that football fans should be able to enjoy a game without fear of intimidation or violence.
“We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so.”
“It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us. We will never tolerate antisemitism or extremism on our streets.”
The statement positioned the government as defending football fans’ rights whilst blaming unnamed groups for “weaponising” the fixture.
Nandy: Ban “Chooses Exclusion” of Jews
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told Parliament on Monday that West Midlands Police’s ban “chooses exclusion” of Jews.
She falsely claimed: “It is the first time since the early 2000s in this country that a decision has been taken to ban entirely away fans from attending a game.”
In fact, in November 2023 – just a year ago – Aston Villa banned fans of Polish club Legia Warsaw from attending a match on West Midlands Police advice after supporters engaged in violence.
Nandy’s inaccurate claim that Jewish fans faced unprecedented exclusion undermines her broader argument about antisemitism.
Police Cited Amsterdam Violence
West Midlands Police stated last week they classified the Birmingham match as high-risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.
The police assessment referenced documented violence by Maccabi supporters, not just violence against them – a nuance largely absent from British political discourse about the ban.
Political Football
The Birmingham fixture became a political football, with ministers attacking police for supposedly antisemitic decision-making before the club itself concluded the match had indeed become too dangerous.
British government intervention appeared driven more by domestic political considerations than genuine security assessment, given Israeli authorities simultaneously cancelled Maccabi’s home derby.
Robinson’s toxic involvement ultimately vindicated police concerns that the fixture risked attracting extremists seeking confrontation rather than football fans wanting to watch sport.
Contradictory Narratives
The saga exposes contradictions in how violence is framed depending on who commits it.
Maccabi fans’ documented racism, weapon-carrying and flag-tearing in Amsterdam was downplayed as “isolated incidents being exploited,” whilst potential protest against their presence in Birmingham was treated as existential antisemitic threat.
Yet the club’s own risk assessment concluded that conditions had become genuinely dangerous – not because of antisemitism but because far-right extremists like Robinson were inserting themselves into the situation.
Values vs Reality
Maccabi’s statement about “divisive figures who do not represent the values of our Club” raises questions about what those values actually are, given fans’ repeated involvement in racist chanting and violence.
The club wants distance from Robinson’s far-right associations whilst accepting political support from Israeli ministers who use similar inflammatory rhetoric.
As the Birmingham match approaches with no away supporters in attendance, the outcome satisfies nobody: police concerns about violence proved justified, yet the fixture has been branded antisemitic exclusion, whilst the club that politicians defended ultimately made the decision politicians opposed.
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