UK seeks to reverse ban on Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from Aston Villa game

Pressure mounted Friday on police authorities in the English city of Birmingham to reverse a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans attending a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month over security concerns, a decision that drew widespread condemnation

Pressure mounted Friday on police authorities in the English city of Birmingham to reverse a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans attending a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month over security concerns, a decision that drew widespread condemnation.

Behind the scenes, the government was seeking to resolve the row, which comes at a time of heightened worries about antisemitism in Britain following a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue earlier this month and calls from Palestinians and their supporters for a sports boycott of Israel over its conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police recommendation to bar the visiting team’s fans from the Nov. 6 game was “the wrong decision” and that “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Starmer spokesman Geraint Ellis said Friday that “the prime minister has been angered by the decision” and the government was working urgently to overturn it.

Simon Foster, the elected official in Birmingham responsible for overseeing the local police force and holding it to account, also urged an “immediate review,” while local mayor Richard Parker called on authorities to find “a workable solution” that may involve the government covering some policing costs.