Aston Villa cannot be ‘no-go area’ for Jews, says Ed Miliband in football row

Aston Villa’s football ground cannot be a “no-go area” for Jews, Ed Miliband has said.

The Energy Secretary was the latest senior Government figure to insist that the ban on fans of Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa next month must be overturned.

Pressure has been mounting on local authorities in Birmingham after they announced the Israeli team’s fans would be barred from attending the November 6th game amid safety concerns.

West Midlands Police classified the fixture as high risk based on “current intelligence and previous incidents”.

The force pointed to violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.

Asked on Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips if Villa Park was now a no-go area for Jews as a result of the decision, Mr Miliband said: “No, and it can’t be, and I’m very, very clear about that.”

Mr Miliband, who is from a Jewish family, said: “We cannot have a situation where any area is a no-go area for people of a particular religion or from a particular country, and we’ve got to stamp out all forms of prejudice, antisemitism, Islamophobia, wherever we find them.”

The minister was also asked by Sky News about a petition, supported by independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr Ayoub Khan, which called for the match to be halted and for a boycott of Israeli teams playing in the UK.

Mr Miliband said he “profoundly” disagreed with Mr Khan’s approach.

The “vast majority of Muslim people in this country would disassociate themselves” from suggestions that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans could not come to Aston Villa because it was a predominantly Muslim area, the minister said.