UEFA Block Second Club’s Fans From Travelling After Maccabi Tel Aviv Controversy

Another club's fans have been blocked from travelling to a match on the back of the controversy surrounding Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv.

On November 6, Premier League side Villa will host Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League at Villa Park.

However, earlier in the week, it was reported that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had been banned from travelling to Villa Park.

The club released a statement confirming that no away fans will be present for the match, after discussions with West Midlands Police and the Safety Advisory Group, who ruled that it is the best move to guarantee public safety, with the fixture classed as "high risk".

Now, a second set of away fans have been told they will not be allowed to attend their team's match.

On November 4, German Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt will take on Serie A champions Napoli at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona in Naples, Italy.

However, it has now been claimed that no Frankfurt fans will be present for the Champions League clash.

As reported by Reuters, UEFA had turned down Frankfurt's request to relocate their game against Napoli to a neutral stadium following the ban on their fans attending the match.

It has been suggested that Italian authorities issued an order to Napoli denying the Bundesliga club the usual allocation due to the risk of violence between rival fans.

In response, Frankfurt board member Philipp Reschke said: "The entirely different approaches from participating countries and national associations to high-risk matches... has now become a real problem for European fan culture and the integrity of European club competitions.

"It's unacceptable that in most places, away fans are welcomed as a matter of course despite major challenges, while in others... away supporters are simply excluded by authorities in spite of identical circumstances and risks."

Eintracht Frankfurt fans have been banned from travelling for their Champions League clash vs Napoli. Image: Getty

He added: "UEFA regulations do not yet provide clubs who are unilaterally affected by official bans on away fans, or even the association itself, with any means of countering – or at least offsetting – this practice.

"Change will only be possible if the host clubs are given joint responsibility for official restrictions in future, and this way of dealing with security issues no longer unilaterally disadvantages visiting fans and visiting teams."

SPORTbible has contacted UEFA for comment.