UK Schools to Close as 700 Police Deployed for Maccabi Tel Aviv Game

A number of schools in Birmingham will close early ahead of Aston Villa's Europa League clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

In the build-up to Thursday night's clash, Aston Villa announced that they had been instructed by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to block the sales of tickets to any Maccabi supporters.

West Midlands Police confirmed that they had advised the SAG that they held public safety concerns, both outside the stadium and in their 'ability to deal with any potential protests on the night'.

The match has been classified as 'high risk' – a decision based on 'current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Amsterdam'.

More than 60 people were arrested after rioters launched a series of 'hit and run attacks' on Israeli fans, with Amsterdam officials claiming that the attacks were fuelled by a 'toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism and anger'.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer claimed that banning Maccabi fans from attending Villa Park was the 'wrong decision', while Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the decision "shameful".

Villa Park will host the Europa League fixture on Thursday. Image credit: Getty

UEFA reiterated that local authorities are responsible for safety and security-related decisions, but said: "[UEFA] encourages both teams and their competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen."

In total, around 700 police officers will be on duty for the Europa League fixture, with protests set to take place on the day. Police say five protest groups, representing both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups, are expected.

On Thursday, a report from The Mirror claimed that some schools in Birmingham are set to shut early.

Mansfield Green E-ACT Primary Academy, a school located close to Villa Park, confirmed that they will send pupils home at 2pm rather than its usual closing time of 3:15pm.

In a message to parents, they wrote: "Good morning, due to the Villa match tomorrow November 6, the school will be closing early. The gates will be open for you to collect your children at 2pm. Thank you."

Maccabi Tel Aviv release statement ahead of game against Aston Villa

Last month, Maccabi confirmed in a statement that the Israeli Premier League side will not accept any tickets for the Europa League match.

"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 reads.

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

"We believe that football should be about bringing people together not driving them apart.

"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 behaviour is an attempt to distort reality.

"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."