UEFA have issued a statement over the decision to block Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League group stage clash against Aston Villa.
Villa announced on Thursday that they had been instructed by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) - which includes emergency services, club representatives and other stakeholders - to block ticket sales to Maccabi fans.
West Midlands Police 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 Athletic reported that a meeting on the matter was held on Thursday between the SAG, representatives of Birmingham City Council, Villa and 'other relevant parties'.
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UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer stated that it was the 'wrong decision' to ban Maccabi fans, with government officials due to host a meeting on Friday.
West Midlands Police explained that the match had been classified as 'high risk', a decision which was 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'.
Over 60 people were arrested after violence broke out outside the Johan Cruyff Stadium post-match, with Amsterdam's mayor Femke Halsema noting that the local security services had failed to designate the match as high risk.
She added that rioters had carried out several 'hit and run attacks' on Israeli supporters and that she was 'deeply ashamed' of what had occurred, while Amsterdam officials claimed that the violence was a 'toxic combination of antisemitism, hooliganism and anger'.
Dutch police stated that Maccabi supporters had been subjected to 'outbursts of violence' in the aftermath of the match, which Ajax won 5-0.
They added that there were 'incidents on both sides', with some Maccabi fans tearing down a Palestinian flag from a building in the city centre on the Wednesday night, and engaging in anti-Palestine chants and slogans both before and during the match, amid Israel's war on Gaza. A taxi was also attacked.
Maccabi's next Europa League fixture, against Besiktas in Istanbul, was moved to a neutral venue in Hungary and played in front of an empty stadium 'due to the possibility of provocative actions'.
Now, UEFA have broken their silence on the matter involving Villa and Maccabi, re-iterating that safety decisions are the responsibility of local authorities.
However, European football's governing body added that they want fans to be able to travel and support their team 'in a safe, secure and welcoming environment'.
"[UEFA] encourages both teams and the competent authorities to agree on the implementation of appropriate measures necessary to allow this to happen," their statement reads.
"In all cases, the competent local authorities remain responsible for decisions related to the safety and security of matches taking place on their territory, such decisions being determined on the basis of thorough risk assessments, which vary from match to match and take into consideration previous circumstances."
Topics: Aston Villa, UEFA, Europa League, Football
Ryan Smart