Starmer attempt to reverse ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is a dangerous own goal

Keir Starmer’s intervention to attempt to reverse the decision is a prioritisation of political pointscoring over the protection of local communities.

The decision has been mischaracterised as a ban on Israeli football supporters or, even more concerningly, Jewish ones. This ignores the long history that elements of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fanbase have of causing violent disorder and being racist.

Last November, ahead of a Europa League match against Ajax, Maccabi ultras marched through the streets of Amsterdam chanting “Death to Arabs” and “Why is there no school in Gaza? There are no children left there.” Some fans reportedly kicked in the front door of a house which had a pro-Palestine poster in the window.

Across the 2022/23 season, there were 65 incidents of racist chanting from Maccabi fans at matches in Israel. With a population in Birmingham that is 30% Muslim and more than 20,000 people who identify as Arab, it is easy to see why the police would have concerns about their ability to prevent unrest around this match.

Their decision is in line with that of other authorities across Europe when it comes to policing football matches. Uefa regularly bans away fans for incidents involving everything from pyrotechnics (Bayern Munich) to racist gestures and banners (Barcelona). In 2023, West Ham fans were banned from a match against Freiburg as a consequence of throwing projectiles during the Uefa Conference League final. There was no political outcry about English fans being stopped from attending.

Meanwhile, during the same week next month that the Villa match is due to take place, Italy will suspend the Schengen Agreement for 48 hours in order to prevent Eintracht Frankfurt fans entering the country for their match against Napoli, as a result of previous violent clashes between the ultras of the two teams.

Policing of football fans continues to be a controversial issue, and there is no doubt there should be a broader conversation about how it is approached and what resources it requires. Acting as though it is an unusual or unreasonable decision, however, betrays a distinct lack of awareness of the realities of football hooliganism.

A reversal of the decision for next month’s game will only put local communities in Birmingham at risk.

Photograph by Giannis Papanikos/AP