Aston Villa ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Villa Park

Nonsense, Tony.

Tony, the Maccabi fans are the problem.

The police don't want them because they are worried they'll cause trouble.

Oh, Tony.

Dear oh dear.

They can't be any worse than Rangers supporters, surely?

It is amazing though the inconsistency when it comes to politics, sport, fan bans, team bans etc.

Maccabi fans caused a riot in Amsterdam so the Police in Birmingham unilaterally ban them from attending a game in England. Meanwhile, for years, we put it on the French government (riots at the 1998 World Cup), Netherlands (Euro 2000 with 900 English fans arrested), Germany (2006, 200 arrested in riots at Stuttgart) to deal with our yobs.

All of these incidents being entirely predictable and coming post Heysel. Not to mention the sorry history of say Galatarassay fans rioting and killing rival fans for example.

At the same time, South Africa have apartheid -- banned from Sport. USA southern states have segregation -- not banned from sports. Hitler awarded the Olympics. Argentine fascist junta awarded 1978 World Cup.

Russia invades Ukraine -- banned from sport. Yugoslavia civil war -- Yugoslavia banned from sports. Russia invades Afghanistan; USA invades Iraq; Turkey continues to occupy Cyprus; China ditto with Tibet; Armenia & Azerbaijan on and off war; Koreas still technically at war; genocides in Rwanda, Sudan, Cambodia -- all okay, no impact on sports.

Surely, we just accept that sports and politics are separate, and police do their jobs and manage situations as they arise. Instead of very occasionally banning nations or groups of fans for doing things everyone seems to do with impunity.

That's incorrect, Tony. It seems the West Midlands Police seem to be driving the ban -- not the club.

No Maccabi Tel Aviv fans allowed at Villa match

Except that's not the reason at all. Their fans are the problem I guess what they did in Amsterdam was not their fault either? They should have been banned by Uefa anyway

Talk about playing the victim card this a rediculous rightwing inspired post filled with anti Muslim hate rhetoric

Andy

You’re being disingenuous. When PSG won the CL in June, over 600 were arrested and two people KILLED in riots that followed. I haven’t seen any councils banning PSG fans from EPL clubs since. This is a political move in effect as it’s seen as a victory for those who want Israel banned from football as Russia have been. But it’s because the West Midlands Police don’t want to do their jobs. Yes some fans from this team committed criminal acts of violence in Amsterdam. But they were also attacked by others. With some media calling it an anti Jewish “pogrom” while others highlighted the burning of a Palestine flag and the attack on a Palestinian taxi driver.

The Midlands police know agitators on both sides would love nothing better than to create carnage in Birmingham in and around this game. But their job is to anticipate and tackle such threats. Just as they do in N Ireland during matching season or during recent anti Israel or pro Israel marches and protests around the country. They’re choosing to avoid taking responsibility for a law and order situation that they’re paid to deal with. UEFA can ban teams and fans and haven’t done so presumably because they feel the problems so far haven’t risen to the level of those that have seen other repeat offenders having to play in empty stadiums and so forth.

As far as banning hooligans goes I’m all for it if you can identify them and not tar everyone with the same brush. As far as banning countries from sports I’m opposed to it because there are few countries in the world that wouldn’t have been banned at some point based on things that got a select few banned. What I’d like to see is no one fighting, no one burning flags, no one making racist or anti religious remarks. Those who do get banged up and the book thrown at them, those who want to peacefully exercise their right to protest whatever they want to protest be allowed to do so peacefully. But this is as I say a dereliction of duty by the police that will be viewed as political with even Keir Starmer tonight saying it’s “anti semitic.” Banning hooligans of a club is not anti semitic or racist if there is just cause to do it based on precedents set by other situations. But doing it when as I say PSG fans among others have done worse inevitably leads to the conclusion that an unfair example is being made of one group. I don’t think that was the police’s motivation. But that’s how it is being viewed by many including Tony and the PM among others. There’s no need for it at all. Just do your job as police.