Sawt Falasteen - Maccabi Tel Aviv fans cannot attend Europa League Villa match

In a statement Villa said they had "been informed that no away fans may attend the UEFA Europa League match with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, November 6, following an instruction from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG)".

The SAG is the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park.

The statement added: "The SAG have formally written to the club and UEFA to advise no away fans will be permitted to attend Villa Park for this fixture.

"West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night."

Villa said they were in "continuous dialogue" with the Israeli club and the local authorities "with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision".

Local police said on Thursday they had classified the fixture as "high risk" following a "thorough assessment".

"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," a spokesperson for the force said.

Last November's match between Dutch side Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv saw supporters of the Israeli team being assaulted in Amsterdam in hit-and-run attacks.

The attacks were the culmination of two days of skirmishes that also saw Maccabi fans chant anti-Arab songs, vandalise a taxi and pull down a Palestinian flag.

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST