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Fans of Israeli soccer team Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer are banned from attending a Europa League match in Birmingham, England on November 6.
The team’s English opponents, Aston Villa, who are hosting the game, made the announcement on Thursday, citing security concerns. Last year Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were attacked in Amsterdam at a match against Ajax.
“The club is in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision,” Aston Villa said in a statement.
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Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the football team’s match against Ajax last year. More than a dozen people have already been charged in connection with the violence and several have already been sentenced following a series of violent incidents overnight.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been a common fixture among Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in 2025.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans stage a pro-Israel demonstration at Dam Square, lighting flares and shouting slogans ahead of the UEFA Europa League match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands on November 7, 2024. (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s upcoming game against Aston Villa will be the team’s first away game in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece against PAOK on September 24. Around 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that match and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.
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Supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv hold flags at Dam Square ahead of the Europa League soccer match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam on November 7, 2024. (JEROEN JUMELET/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, European soccer body UEFA had been weighing a vote to suspend Israeli teams from its competitions before it was overtaken this month by the Gaza ceasefire.
The London-based Jewish Leadership Council called Thursday’s decision unfair.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Sagiv Yehezkal during the warm-up before the match. (REUTERS/Yves Herman)
“It is perverse that away fans should be excluded from a football match because West Midlands Police cannot guarantee their safety. Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors,” the organization said in a statement.
