ISRAELI fans will not be able to buy tickets for a major game against Aston Villa next month amid safety concerns.
This comes after the government said it was exploring what “additional resources and support are required” to allow “all fans” to attend.
Birmingham safety chiefs have rejected pleas to U-turn on their decision to prevent Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters watching the game.
It is now understood that the Israeli club will not sell tickets to its fans, reports Sky News.
In a statement shard on X the club said: “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 and society at large.
“As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.
‘I LOVE YOU’
Girlfriend of Stuart Pearce’s son pays tribute to the man ‘I’ll love forever’
LONG STORY SHORT
Stats show Man Utd are Prem’s biggest long ball merchants under Amorim
“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.”
The statement concluded by expressing the club’s hope to play in Birmingham in the near future once circumstances have changed.
The local authority was advised to bar the travelling fans from the November 6 tie over fears of clashes with pro-Palestinian mobs.
Cops in the West Midlands said the match was high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.
The decision to exclude any fans coming from the Israeli capital was met with heavy criticism from the Government and supporters.
Despite growing pressure, Birmingham’s safety advisory group (SAG) has confirmed the ban will remain in place.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it was “unacceptable” for away fans to be barred from the fixture.
She told Sky News: “We think (it) is very difficult to justify and very difficult to accept.
“The Government will do what we can to ensure that the relevant authorities have got the resources they need…
“We will provide what is necessary alongside the other relevant authorities in order to ensure that fans can attend.
“I think it’s unacceptable to have ended up in a position where away fans are unable to attend for the reasons that have been cited.
“We have a role to play but other relevant authorities in the West Midlands will also be taking this into account.”
The Government is expecting West Midlands Police to set out what it would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present.
British-Israeli hostage Emily Damari, who spent 471 days held captive by Hamas in Gaza and planned to attend the game, led the condemnation.
Emily, 29, said in a powerful statement on X: “I am a die-hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
“I am shocked to my core with this outrageous decision to ban me, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa game in the UK.
“Football is a way of bringing people together irrespective of their faith, colour or religion and this disgusting decision does the exact opposite.
“Shame on you. This is like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying ‘No Jews allowed’.
“What has become of the UK where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we are living in.”
Andrew Fox, honorary president of Aston Villa’s Jewish Villans supporters’ club, said the ban sent “a really worrying message about British society”.
He said: “It just makes a very febrile political situation worse. There’s no evidence of Maccabi’s fans being particularly violent.
“They don’t have a track record in all of their previous European games of having a violent fan group.
“So really this is a political message rather than a safety message.”
Police recommended a ban after clashes between Maccabi fans and those of Dutch giants Ajax in Amsterdam in November.
Pro-Palestinian mobs attacked the travelling Israelis who responded by hurling abuse and tearing down a Palestinian flag.
Police advised Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group chaired by the Labour-run city council’s head of resilience, Michael Enderby.
PM Sir Keir pledged to do “everything possible” to protect British jews in the wake of the Manchester synagogue knife horror.
He promised to increase the visible police presence and show “the other Britain — the Britain of compassion, of decency, of love”.
But he was initially locked in a red-tape wrangle with police accused of choosing to ban travelling Jewish football fans rather than shield them.
It has brought attention to the game, making it a huge draw for pro-Palestine protesters who have been marching on UK streets for months.
Yesterday, the Tel Aviv derby clash between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off following violent clashes between supporters.
Fans from both capital-based clubs reportedly threw flares, bottles, smoke grenades and even stones onto the pitch from the stands.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
LAST ROUNDS
Popular Glasgow nightclub announces it’s closing for good
SPICE KINGS
Curryhouse hailed for ‘outstanding’ food named Scotland’s best family Indian
The scenes lead to an initial decision to send the players back to their dressing rooms and officially postpone the game’s start.
But the unrest grew around the ground, with police claiming several officers and civilians were injured in the chaos.
