LONDON (AP) — British police said Friday that 11 people were arrested the night before during a highly tense Europa League soccer match in Birmingham between English Premier League team Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv, a match that was banned by fans of the Israeli team.
On Friday, West Midlands Police said five of those arrested were suspected of racially motivated offences. The rest included disobeying orders and disturbing the peace.
Police stationed more than 700 officers around the Villa Park stadium amid fears of clashes between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli groups.
Despite high tensions before the match, no serious incidents occurred.
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 6: Muslim men perform evening prayer outside Villa Park before the 2025/26 UEFA Europa League MD4 match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park Stadium on November 6, 2025 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Before the start of the match, a pro-Palestinian protest took place near the stadium, which was attended by hundreds of people with Palestinian flags and anti-Israeli banners.
The outbreak occurred as a woman carrying an Israeli flag walked by, but she was quickly escorted away by police before the situation escalated.
There was also a counter-Israeli protest on the other side of Villa Park, with protesters holding signs reading “Keep anti-Semitism out of football.” Five cars carrying electronic billboards with messages against anti-Semitism drove past the ground.
One message, next to a Star of David, read: “Ban hate, not fans,” while another included a quote from French football legend Thierry Henry about how football is not about goals, but about bringing people together.
LONDON, UK – November 6, 2025: Police on horseback guard Birmingham's Villa Park stadium, separating pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups. Both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian groups protested when Israeli football team Maccabi Tel Aviv faced Aston Villa in a Europa League match. Maccabi fans were banned from attending the match due to security concerns as 700 police officers patrolled the controversial event. Final score of the match: Aston Villa 2 | Maccabi Tel Aviv 0. (Photo by Lab Ky Mo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The match, which Aston Villa won 2-0, came under the spotlight after officials in Birmingham decided to ban visiting fans from attending last month. The decision was widely criticized, including by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but welcomed by others who said Maccabi fans had been subjected to repeated violence recently.
West Midlands Police said they considered the match high risk “based on current intelligence and previous incidents”, including violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played Ajax in Amsterdam last season.
Following the furore, Maccabi announced that it would refuse any away tickets for the match.
The ban comes at a time of heightened concern about anti-Semitism in Britain following the deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester last month and calls by Palestinians and their supporters for a sporting boycott of Israel over the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Hopes that the recent ceasefire will ease tensions appear premature.
