Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will decline any tickets offered to their fans for the Europa League match against Aston Villa.
The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG) opted last week to block visiting fans from attending the tie against Aston Villa on November 6 following a risk assessment by West Midlands Police, a decision that drew immediate criticism from politicians including UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
There have been numerous calls for the decision to be reversed, but a statement on the Maccabi website on Monday evening read: “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.”
Earlier on Monday, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said the decision to bar supporters “chooses exclusion” of Jewish people.
In response to an urgent question in the House of Commons from former Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston on Monday, Nandy said the final call must ultimately be made by the police.
However, she said the country “should be appalled” that the initial risk assessment was, she claimed, “based in no small part on the risk posed to those fans that are attending who support Maccabi because they are Israeli, and because they are Jewish”.
