Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban might have been politically influenced, say MPs | EUROtoday

Local political strain might have influenced the choice to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer followers from attending a match towards Aston Villa, a parliamentary committee has concluded.

The Home Affairs Committee mentioned that Birmingham councillors had a “disproportionate opportunity to exert influence”, which undermined confidence that the choice was based mostly on proof and security.

Supporters had been barred from the 6 November sport at Villa Park by the native security advisory group (SAG), citing security issues based mostly on recommendation from West Midlands Police (WMP).

A subsequent evaluation revealed an “AI hallucination” generated by Microsoft Copilot had helped police to justify the ban.

Copilot erroneously referenced a non-existent match between Tel Aviv and West Ham.

Chief Constable Craig Guildford has since resigned from his place amid important strain following the controversy.

In a brand new report on the row, the Home Affairs Committee mentioned it couldn’t rule out that political strain had performed an element within the determination.

The report mentioned WMP’s issues about dysfunction “combined with local political pressure and community tensions related to the international situation” led to the transfer.

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 ought to ban native councillors from sitting on SAGs, the group of MPs mentioned.

Chair of the Home Affairs Committee Dame Karen Bradley mentioned: “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, together with the prime minister and residential secretary, for heightening tensions by criticising the transfer too late.

By intervening after the choice to ban away followers had already been publicly introduced, the Government escalated the scenario and was “ineffectual” in enabling the Israeli followers to attend, it mentioned.

The Home Office and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport had been informed on 8 October 2025 that Maccabi followers had been prone to be barred – per week earlier than the choice was introduced.

The Israeli group’s followers might nonetheless have been in a position to come “if the Government had intervened privately at this point”, the committee concluded.

On the day the choice 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 identical 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 elevated the profile of the next fixture, “which in turn increased risk”, the report concluded.