Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv - away fans banned | MTA confirm they will refuse any allocation for safety reasons (p26)

[franksinatra]

Yeah, that's fair enough. Looks like there's a good chance the decision is going to be reversed now, so if it does kick off then they could justifiably blame the politicians who pushed for it. The fixture is probably going to attract even more extremists on both sides now, many of whom won't care about the actual match.

Not a dig at you Ric but knowing a little about SAG they will be pretty much led by the Police as most of them will have very different skill sets away from politics/football.

Fair play to the West Mids police for actually saying they stand with the decision as they could have tried to hide away from the decision-making process.

I’m disappointed with Starmers Grand-Standing on this one. Seems opportunistic.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Ajax fans were banned from Marseille recently, plenty of Old firm matches have had no away fans, and there are other examples too, most sensible Villa fans shouldn't give a shit about this decision because it's absolutely nothing compared to actual important things, and yes if you chant "death to Arabs" everywhere you go you should expect some problems in some places, but keep living in fantasy land.

That’s not the main reason why they have been banned though. They are being stopped because the police can’t gaurantee their safety.

‘Expect some problems’ do you think possible terorrist attacks, mass anti semitism and basically Jewish sports fans not being able to go to an area is justified? (You don’t seem to mention them)

If it was another Israeli sports team or families who happened to support this team, the same problems would happen. How is this allowed in modern Britain?

 

[The blue phantom]

Maccabi Tel Aviv do not have a reputation for trouble where they travel.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

We're English...we know about being banned because of OTHER teams. Big blanket ban for us all back in the late 80s, remember?
The West Midlands police can't be arsed with all the potential trouble....they have enough problems being in Birmingham as it is.
People calling it antisemitic are just liars.... and they know that.
Starmer is a cowardly fraud. Shameful.

How can you just ignore and pretend the anti semitism problem isn’t a factor. We’ve just had an anti semitic terrorist attack in Manchester and its part of why the police are concerned about this going ahead.

We have a situation where Israeli sports fans and Jewish people can’t go to a particular game, because they might be targeted. Why are you pretending that it’s not an issue?

 

[The blue phantom]

That’s not the main reason why they have been banned though. They are being stopped because the police can’t gaurantee their safety.

‘Expect some problems’ do you think possible terorrist attacks, mass anti semitism and basically Jewish sports fans not being able to go to an area is justified? (You don’t seem to mention them)

If it was another Israeli sports team or families who happened to support this team, the same problems would happen. How is this allowed in modern Britain?

Or are they thinking that the inevitable "Death to Arabs" chants will stoke up the locals and then they cant control what happens? Surely it's easier to just ban them.

 

[Marklr]

How can you just ignore and pretend the anti semitism problem isn’t a factor. We’ve just had an anti semitic terrorist attack in Manchester and its part of why the police are concerned about this going ahead.

We have a situation where Israeli sports fans and Jewish people can’t go to a particular game, because they might be targeted. Why are you pretending that it’s not an issue?

But the reason for banning known violent football fans isn't antisemitic, is it? We saw what happened in Amsterdam.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

But the reason for banning known violent football fans isn't antisemitic, is it? We saw what happened in Amsterdam.

That’s not the main reason they have been banned is it. The West Midlands police have clearly said they can’t guarantee their safety.

Fine, ban the away fans. Why not let Jewish families/kids of that side around the country attend instead? I’m sure there would be no issue then…

 

[Big Joe Corrigan]

But the reason for banning known violent football fans isn't antisemitic, is it? We saw what happened in Amsterdam.

I think some people may have seen the mainstream coverage, as I said earlier in the thread there is a young local lad who filmed what really happened.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Or are they thinking that the inevitable "Death to Arabs" chants will stoke up the locals and then they cant control what happens? Surely it's easier to just ban them.

Yep possible terrorist attacks and mass anti semitism. What kind of country do we live in when that’s a major possibility.

Let kids and families (maybe of the players) who might live in the UK go instead. Unless there not allowed to attend either?

 

[SamBlue]

You are missing the point. Maccabi fans are being banned because the police can't guarantee their safety from the locals. Ajax were banned because of previous clashes with Marseille and when other Dutch clubs travelled there, we all know why the old firm ban each other.

Maccabi Tel Aviv do not have a reputation for trouble where they travel despite all the idiots on here claiming they do. Less than 1,000 were expected to attend and the majority would have been British based Jews who would have no requirement for spending time in the city. They are being banned as the locals can't be trusted to behave.

WTF is this? You mean Israelis, or is it how we refer to British Jews now?

And how should locals behave, crowding with empty bowls in their hands, waiting for a ladleful of porridge soup to be given for a day...if they are lucky.

 

[Marklr]

That’s not the main reason they have been banned is it. The West Midlands police have clearly said they can’t guarantee their safety.

Fine, ban the away fans. Why not let Jewish families/kids of that side around the country attend instead? I’m sure there would be no issue then…

...neutral wording from the West Midlands police. The fans of a football club have been banned. We know about that. It's not anti-jewish. Football clubs are not a race or religion.

 

[Corky]

That’s not the main reason why they have been banned though. They are being stopped because the police can’t gaurantee their safety.

‘Expect some problems’ do you think possible terorrist attacks, mass anti semitism and basically Jewish sports fans not being able to go to an area is justified? (You don’t seem to mention them)

If it was another Israeli sports team or families who happened to support this team, the same problems would happen. How is this allowed in modern Britain?

Football fans are policed differently than the general population and you see on Mu home games they can act how they want towards other fans and it is the City/away or other fans who get charged (literally) for saying anything back, as that is the easiest way to police things.

That is modern Britain.

There was also the President Saddam Hussein Mosque on Trinity Rd in short walking distance, and Lozells near by which has had racial tensions and riots an a cyclical basis. There is no doubt it will kick off so it seems a pragmatic decision.

 

[hcblue95]

That’s not the main reason they have been banned is it. The West Midlands police have clearly said they can’t guarantee their safety.

Fine, ban the away fans. Why not let Jewish families/kids of that side around the country attend instead? I’m sure there would be no issue then…

Except you've just made up that that's the main reason. The police have said:

"This decision is 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

"Based on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety."

 

[Blackley_Blue]

Local radio reports are suggesting that the decision is based on concerns from West Midlands Police about its ability to deal with potential protests relating the war between Israel and Gaza.

 

[Chak19]

That’s not the main reason why they have been banned though. They are being stopped because the police can’t gaurantee their safety.

‘Expect some problems’ do you think possible terorrist attacks, mass anti semitism and basically Jewish sports fans not being able to go to an area is justified? (You don’t seem to mention them)

If it was another Israeli sports team or families who happened to support this team, the same problems would happen. How is this allowed in modern Britain?

For the last time, when your fans regularly chant death to Arabs you should expect trouble in some places, that's what happened in Amsterdam and the police dont want that in Birmingham, and last I heard people supporting Maccabi tel aviv were banned not all Jews

 

[The blue phantom]

Yep possible terrorist attacks and mass anti semitism. What kind of country do we live in when that’s a major possibility.

Let kids and families (maybe of the players) who might live in the UK go instead. Unless there not allowed to attend either?

Do you think thousands of Maccabi fans should be allowed to chant "Death to Arabs" does that deserve a ban?

 

[Gaz76]

If this had been galatasaray/psg/Napoli etc etc etc would it be antiism for all them as well? Would it fuck and nobody would bat an eyelid, but here we are with political point scoring galore, I would say the coppers have a hard enough job without the prime minister coming out and saying they are wrong

 

[M18CTID]

How can you just ignore and pretend the anti semitism problem isn’t a factor. We’ve just had an anti semitic terrorist attack in Manchester and its part of why the police are concerned about this going ahead.

We have a situation where Israeli sports fans and Jewish people can’t go to a particular game, because they might be targeted. Why are you pretending that it’s not an issue?

Of course antisemitism is a factor but he was saying the decision itself isn't antisemitic

 

[CΛL]

What about British/Jewish Macaabi fans that were born and raised here?

Are Jewish Aston Villa fans allowed to attend?

This is not good.

If the police can police Villa/Birmingham games surely the can control this.

I think we can guess where the real threat is coming from

Lmao they’re banning a set of fans due to the threat of violence from both Macaabi fans, Villa supporters and the local demographic. They are not banning Jewish people.

You saw what happened in Amsterdam.

Don’t make it into something it isn’t.

 

[MeatnSpudsMCFC]

Do you think thousands of Maccabi fans should be allowed to chant "Death to Arabs" does that deserve a ban?

There is a ban for shouting that. It's a criminal offence.