Aston Villa currently sit 10th in the Europa League table following three matches.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s chief executive, Jack Angelides, has advocated for the separation of football and politics after away fans were prohibited from attending Thursday’s Europa League fixture at Aston Villa.
West Midlands Police had previously expressed concerns regarding their capacity to manage potential demonstrations, leading the Safety Advisory Group—the entity responsible for issuing safety certifications for matches—to inform Villa that no visiting supporters would be permitted at the Birmingham game.
This decision sparked debate at the parliamentary level, and the Israeli club subsequently announced that their supporters would not be traveling to Birmingham due to safety concerns.
“It’s incredibly sad, and I think it’s a concerning and a worrying sign,” Angelides told BBC Sport.
“Politics should never be drawn into football.”
“It became a political issue, and we’re not a pawn in a political game; we’re a football club. Our strengths are running a football club and playing football.”
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Six weeks prior, there was a possibility the match might be called off, with some advocating for the removal of Israeli teams from international competitions due to the Israel-Gaza conflict.
However, following a ceasefire agreement last month, it was confirmed that Maccabi Tel Aviv—the sole Israeli club to reach the league stage of European competition this season—would remain in the Europa League.
West Midlands Police stated that their decision was “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 coalition of six pro-Palestinian organizations plans to protest outside Villa Park on Thursday in opposition to the match proceeding.
Nayeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity, stated that the organization has issued a national call for participants and anticipates between 20,000 and 50,000 protesters in attendance.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be playing anywhere in the international arena,” Malik told BBC Sport.
“We have had a lot of demonstrations for Palestine in this city, and they have all been very peaceful.”
“Our campaign is that Israel should be boycotted in all sports, and that’s whether they play with or without fans.”
Over 700 police officers will be deployed, including mounted units, dog units, the force’s drone unit, and road policing officers. A no-fly zone will be in effect around the stadium.
“We trust in the local authorities,” said Angelides.
“I feel that they must know the situation, what is required, and know the lines that must be drawn.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv has played both of their Europa League home games this season in Serbia after Uefa deemed it unsafe to host matches in Israel, and Angelides believes the players are accustomed to playing fixtures without a significant travelling support.
“We’ve had to deal with this for two years, playing our home match abroad and often without fans because of the distance and location,” he added.
“No excuses, our players will be ready to play a football match.”
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