Police detained 11 males aged 17–67 during protests outside Villa Park ahead of the Europa League match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which Villa won 2-0. Most arrests were for racially aggravated public order offences; others involved attempted fireworks-throwing, suspected drug supply and failure to comply with police orders. More than 700 officers from 25 forces policed the game, and Maccabi fans had been banned on the basis of police intelligence about hooliganism. The decision followed wider concerns after violent clashes involving some Maccabi supporters in Amsterdam last season.
11 Arrested as Protests Erupt Before Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv — Heavy Policing, Match Goes Ahead
Police detained 11 males aged 17–67 during protests outside Villa Park ahead of the Europa League match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which Villa won 2-0. Most arrests were for racially aggravated public order offences; others involved attempted fireworks-throwing, suspected drug supply and failure to comply with police orders. More than 700 officers from 25 forces policed the game, and Maccabi fans had been banned on the basis of police intelligence about hooliganism. The decision followed wider concerns after violent clashes involving some Maccabi supporters in Amsterdam last season.
15:29, 07.11.2025Conflict
Eleven detained after protests ahead of Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv
Police arrested 11 people during heated demonstrations before the politically sensitive Europa League tie between Aston Villa and Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park in Birmingham. Despite tensions outside the ground, the match went ahead without major disruption and Aston Villa won 2-0.
The fixture was staged under a large security operation. West Midlands Police (WMP) said those arrested were males aged between 17 and 67. Most were held on suspicion of racially aggravated public order offences.
Other arrests included a 21-year-old accused of attempting to throw fireworks into the stadium, a person suspected of possessing drugs with intent to supply, a 21-year-old who refused an order to remove a face covering, and a 17-year-old who ignored a dispersal order.
More than 700 officers from WMP and 25 other forces were deployed across the city for the 20:00 GMT kick-off, supported by police horses, dogs, drones and road units. Inside Villa Park the atmosphere was comparatively subdued, and many sections of seating remained empty.
Supporter ban and the wider context
Aston Villa announced last month that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters would not be permitted to attend after Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group, acting on police intelligence, advised the restriction. Sky News reported the decision followed concerns about "significant levels of hooliganism" among a section of Maccabi supporters, with safety around the match the principal concern rather than specific threats to Israeli fans.
"I’m aware there’s a lot of commentary around the threat to the (Maccabi) fans being the reason for the decision. To be clear, that was not the primary driver," West Midlands Police Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce told Sky. "We have intelligence and information that says that there is a section of Maccabi fans, not all Maccabi fans, but a section who engage in quite significant levels of hooliganism."
Fan bans are unusual in European football and are typically used only when there is a history of violence between rival supporters; there have been no previous incidents reported between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
Attention on some Maccabi followers has risen amid tensions linked to Israel’s war in Gaza. The most notable recent incident involved violent disorder in Amsterdam last season during a Europa League match against Ajax, when more than 60 people were arrested and five were taken to hospital after unrest. Police said anti-Israeli groups on scooters chased and attacked Maccabi fans. At the same time, Reuters footage showed some Maccabi supporters chanting anti-Arab slogans in the days before the match; police reported fans had burned a Palestinian flag, torn down another and vandalised a taxi. Amsterdam’s mayor later said she would not welcome the team back.
Football analyst Nicholas Blincoe told Al Jazeera the risk at Villa Park was tied to what he described as the "racist" tendencies among some Maccabi ultras: "These [Maccabi] ultras have become increasingly right-wing, nationalistic, and explicitly racist," he said.
West Midlands Police said inquiries into the arrests remain ongoing and that officers will continue to work with clubs and partner agencies to ensure public safety at future fixtures.