‘Political pressure’ may have influenced decision to ban Maccabi fans, MPs say

Local political pressure may have played a part in the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match against Aston Villa, a committee of MPs has concluded.

Birmingham councillors had a “disproportionate opportunity to exert influence”, undermining trust that decision-making was based on evidence and safety, the Home Affairs Committee said.

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game against Aston Villa at Villa Park on November 6 by the local safety advisory group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from West Midlands Police (WMP).

A review into the decision found an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot had helped police justify the move.

The error meant a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham had been referenced.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford stepped down from the top role following mounting pressure for him to quit over the controversy.

Publishing a report on the row, the Home Affairs Committee said it could not rule out that political pressure had played a part in the decision.

The report said WMP’s concerns about disorder “combined with local political pressure and community tensions related to the international situation” led to the move.

The report continued: “While we cannot conclude that the Safety Advisory Group’s decision was made because of political pressure, on the basis of the evidence we have seen we also cannot conclude with any confidence that the decision was not politically influenced.

“It is clear that on this occasion councillors, with a stated political aim, had a disproportionate opportunity to influence Safety Advisory Group decision-making on a deeply divisive political issue.

“While the presence of elected politicians on Safety Advisory Groups has potential benefits in terms of local representation, it also risks decision making becoming politically motivated, undermining trust in the process.”

The Cabinet Office should ban local councillors from sitting on SAGs, the group of MPs said.

Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Dame Karen Bradley said: “It is an extraordinary measure to decide to ban fans from attending a fixture, particularly in the cultural and political climate that this occurred in.

“It is vital that trust is rebuilt. West Midlands Police must repair the damage that has been done by working hard to reach out to local communities, particularly Jewish communities.

“They must also ensure that there is a cultural shift around decision making where assumptions are tested and evidence fully checked.”

Elsewhere, the committee criticised ministers, including the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, for heightening tensions by criticising the move too late.

By intervening after the decision to ban away fans had already been publicly announced, the Government escalated the situation and was “ineffectual” in enabling the Israeli fans to attend, it said.

The Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport were told on October 8 last year that Maccabi fans were likely to be barred – a week before the decision was announced.

The Israeli team’s fans could still have been able to come “if the Government had intervened privately at this point”, the committee concluded.

On the day the decision was made public, Sir Keir Starmer posted on X calling it “the wrong decision” and saying the Government “will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”.

The same day, Shabana Mahmood posted on X that the Government “is doing everything in our power to ensure all fans can safely attend the game”.

The public interventions increased the profile of the subsequent fixture, “which in turn increased risk”, the report concluded.