Maccabi Tel Aviv to decline tickets for European tie at Aston Villa
JERUSALEM: Maccabi Tel Aviv will decline any tickets offered to their fans for a Europa League match at away to Aston Villa, the Israeli club announced Monday. The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) covering Villa Park in Birmingham, central England, last week blocked visiting fans from attending the November 6 match following a police risk assessment. That decision drew widespread political criticism, including UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with widespread calls for the ruling to be reversed. The British government said Friday it was working to allow Israeli fans to be present. But a statement on the Maccabi Tel Aviv website said: “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. “We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.” The announcement came only a day after Israeli police called off the Israeli Premier League match between Maccabi and city rivals Hapoel because of “riots” between rival fans. Maccabi insisted their supporters were not involved in the unrest Maccabi Tel Aviv’s atatement questioned the motivation of those leading calls for a ban on away fans. “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 and society at large,” said the club. “Our first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide.