Aston Villa-Maccabi Tel Aviv live: Protests to be held before Europa League game

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"Protests are expected in Birmingham this evening in the lead-up to Aston Villa's Europa League fixture against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, held at Villa Park. The game has been dogged by weeks of controversy around the inclusion of Israeli teams in international competition as a result of the Israel-Gaza war. Away fans have been banned from attending on safety grounds over fears by Birmingham City's Safety Advisory Group (SAG) that the match was high-risk."

"The SAG cited both the context of the Israel-Gaza war and previous violent clashes and hate crime offences involving Maccabi fans at a Europa League game in Amsterdam last year, which led to dozens of arrests and five people being imprisoned."

Protests are expected in Birmingham ahead of Aston Villa's Europa League match against Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park. Away supporters were banned on safety grounds by Birmingham City's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which described the fixture as high-risk because of the Israel-Gaza war context and previous violent clashes and hate crime offences involving Maccabi fans at a Europa League match in Amsterdam last year. Those Amsterdam incidents led to dozens of arrests and five imprisonments. The ban prompted criticism from Sir Keir Starmer and others amid accusations of surrendering to antisemitism, while the prime minister urged police to ensure fans can attend without fear of violence or intimidation.

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