Fan ban 'incredibly sad' - Maccabi Tel Aviv chief

Maccabi Tel Aviv chief executive Jack Angelides has called for a separation between football and politics after away fans were banned from Thursday's Europa League game at Aston Villa.

Last month, West Midlands Police raised concerns about its ability to deal with potential protests and the Safety Advisory Group - the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches - informed Villa no travelling fans will be permitted at the match in Birmingham.

The decision became the focus of parliamentary-level debate and the Israeli club later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.

"It's incredibly sad and I think it's a concerning and a worrying sign," Angelides told BBC Sport.

"Politics should never be drawn into football.

"It became a political issue and we're not a pawn in a political game, we're a football club. Our strengths are running a football club and playing football."

Six weeks ago, there was a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.

But once a ceasefire was agreed last month, it became clear Maccabi Tel Aviv - the only Israeli club to reach the league stage of European competition this season - would stay in the Europa League.

West Midlands Police said its decision was "based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam".

A coalition of six pro-Palestinian organisations will be outside Villa Park on Thursday to protest against the match going ahead.

Nayeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestinian Solidarity, said the organisation has put out a national call for people to turn up and hope to have between 20,000 and 50,000 protesters attending.

"Maccabi Tel Aviv should not be playing anywhere in the international arena," Malik told BBC Sport.

"We have had a lot of demonstrations for Palestine in this city and they have all been very peaceful.

"Our campaign is that Israel should be boycotted in all sports and that's whether they play with or without fans."

More than 700 police officers will be deployed, including those with horses, dogs, the force's drone unit, and road policing officers. There will be a no-fly zone around the ground.

"We trust in the local authorities," said Angelides.

"I feel that they must know the situation, what is required and know the lines that must be drawn."

Maccabi Tel Aviv have played both their Europa League home games this season in Serbia after Uefa ruled it was unsafe to host matches in Israel, and Angelides believes the players are accustomed to playing fixtures without a large travelling support.

"We've had to deal with this for two years, playing our home match abroad and often without fans because of the distance and location," he added.

"No excuses, our players will be ready to play a football match."