Either public safety is an absolute priority at sporting events or it is not.

Reflections on the Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv match

That public safety should be an absolute priority at sporting events is an easy thing to say. It is a phrase with a certain nod-along quality to it. Of course, one might say, public safety should be an absolute priority at sporting events.

But what does the word ‘absolute’ mean in this phrase?

It means that in all circumstances, at all times, public safety takes priority over any other consideration. That it is not trumped by something else. That it is not qualified. That public safety is not a relative priority, one among others.

That public safety should be an absolute priority at sporting events is what a politician may call ‘a lesson learned’ - from tragedies such as those at Hillsborough in 1989 and Heysel in 1985, among others.

Never again, the politicians said. Public safety is now the absolute priority.

Lessons will be learned.

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On 6 November 2025 there is to be a football match at Villa Park:

I happen to be an Aston Villa supporter and this is an important match. It is what is regarded as a ‘European night’ where Villa Park would be loud and atmospheric.

European football is especially important for Villa fans, as the one thing we hang onto regardless of the fortunes of the club is that once upon a time we were European champions. And although the Europa league is not the same competition as what is now called the champion’s league, it is still important - at least to us.

Villa Park is a special place - one of the great football stadiums - and it is a very special place on European nights.

And part of what makes European nights special - as with all football matches - are the away fans. A part empty stadium makes a significant difference.

Banning away fans should never be done lightly.

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On 16 October 2025 West Midlands Police published the following statement, which should be read carefully (emphasis added):

WMP supports Safety Advisory Group decision regarding Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv football match

West Midlands Police has a strong track record of successfully policing football matches and other high-risk public events.

We are committed to delivering fair and impartial policing, while balancing the public’s right to protest with our duty to ensure public safety.

Following a thorough assessment, we have classified the upcoming Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel-Aviv fixture as high risk.

We have actively engaged with a wide range of local partners and community representatives in preparation for this fixture, and continue to participate in the Safety Advisory Group.

While the Safety Certificate is issued by Birmingham City Council, West Midlands Police supports the decision to prohibit away supporters from attending.

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.

We remain steadfast in our support all affected communities, and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms.

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This told us there had been “a thorough assessment” and that following that assessment the match had been classified “as high risk”.

The assessment is also, we are told, “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”.

What happened at that 2024 match in Amsterdam even has its own Wikipedia page:

The police conclude that “[b]ased on our professional judgement, we believe this measure will help mitigate risks to public safety”.

The police statement, however, states that the ultimate decision is that of Birmingham City Council.

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At the local council there is what is called the ‘Safety Advisory Group’ (SAG). This is also an advisory, not a decision-making body: its terms of reference state “SAG cannot take any decisions on behalf of the Council or statutory member.”

SAG’s membership is not just the police but other relevant bodies:

On 17 October 2025, the day after the police decision, Birmingham City Council published this statement (which again should be read carefully):

Statement on Safety Advisory Group’s decision on Aston Villa FC and Maccabi Tel Aviv match

Aston Villa play Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League at Villa Park on 6 November.

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: “The Safety Advisory Group has made a decision based on a risk assessment provided by West Midlands Police. If there is a change in the assessment of risk in the forthcoming match between Aston Villa Football Club and Maccabi Tel Aviv, then the Safety Advisory Group will commit to review its decision as appropriate.”

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The police had made a reasoned risk assessment and the expert body made up of other interested entities accepted that assessment. And it appears the local authority in turn accepted that police assessment as accepted by SAG.

SAG also stated expressly that if the risk assessment changes then they would review their decision.

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As you will no doubt be aware this was then followed by a considerable political and media storm.

But such risk assessments are not unusual.

In 2023, in respect of another European Night at Villa Park, the away fans of Legia Warsaw were banned on the very same basis:

This contradicts the false statement of the culture secretary in the House of Commons yesterday that such decision were “unprecedented in modern times”:

What is astonishing in this case is that it is unprecedented in modern times for all away fans to be banned because of the behaviour of a small minority, and we are working with the police to help them to look at that in the round.

Neither the culture secretary nor those advising her knew what they were talking about.

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Indeed, banning away fans or even cancelling matches for public safety reasons happens a lot.

Indeed, in Israel itself, a match has recently been called off on public safety grounds:

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Some of the politicians opposed to the Villa Park decision paid lip-service to respecting the “operational” decision, while harshly criticising the decision and (by implication) the decision-makers.

A few pressed for more police resources, perhaps mistaking public order for public safety. These are not the same thing, as the 2022 champions league final in Paris showed:

Indeed, a heavy-handed public order approach can be at odds with public safety.

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By yesterday the situation had become a tense mess, with the government and other politicians seeking to somehow overturn an independent public safety risk assessment.

Then Macabbi Tel Aviv made the decision themselves, thereby saving the United Kingdom government from the spectacle of somehow overturning an expert public safety assessment:

The Maccabi Tel Aviv statement - which also should be read in full - 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.

We as a Club believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart and no one should feel unsafe for simply wanting to come and support their team nor feel any hesitation about being accompanied by family and friends.

We have a strong track record in seeking to bring people together. We have been instrumental in bringing forward footballing talent from around the world irrespective of race or creed. Our first team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide. We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base. Unfortunately, those issues are not restricted to Israeli football, and they are problems the sport has been grappling worldwide including in the UK.

It is clear, that 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 latest example is by people who have rushed to attribute to our fans the decision of the Tel Aviv police to cancel our derby match yesterday. It was not. It is easier to believe than to enquire especially when it suites an agenda. Our fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behavior is an attempt to distort reality and to excuse the real underlying reasons for the decision to ban our fans. Our fans, the Jewish community know all too well this tactic and all are too familiar with where it can lead.

We are also concerned about the intervention of divisive figures who do not represent the values of our Club. We condemn all abhorrent views that have no place in football.

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. Inflammatory rhetoric, trafficking in half-truths is never healthy, but in this particular case the remarks being generated are of the most concerning variety. Not for Maccabi Tel Aviv or football, but for the sake of society and its underlying values, maybe the agendas involved here should be looked at more closely.

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.

We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.

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Nobody can say that this matter has been dealt with in a politically satisfactory way.

As Macabbi Tel Aviv say in their statement, this situation has been allowed to become toxic.

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The ultimate fault, however, may lie with how an independent expert safety assessment was communicated and then portrayed - especially by politicians who should have known better.

Just as the police in Israel made a safety assessment for the derby game, so did the police in Birmingham for this European game, as they also did in 2023.

We also know that the Birmingham decision was endorsed by an expert safety body, SAG.

Of course, as SAG themselves stated, they would review its decision as appropriate. If the facts changed, the assessment would change.

And perhaps the risk assessment and decision may have changed - and hopefully for the right reasons.

Perhaps more police resources would have made the crucial difference, but as set out above, public order is not necessarily the same as public safety.

Many have strong opinions about whether teams from Israel should play in European competitions - but the public safety issue is not and should not be a proxy for that issue.

The away fans of Legia Warsaw were not allowed at Villa Park in 2023 because of public safety concerns, and two years later the away fans of another team were not allowed on the same basis.

But whether it is Legia Warsaw or Macabbi Tel Aviv or any other club the issue of public safety must be paramount.

Either public safety is an absolute priority at sporting events or it is not.