MPs want answers on Villa-Maccabi game intelligence

MPs have demanded that police give a fuller account of allegedly exaggerated intelligence that led to a decision to ban to Israeli fans from their club's match against Aston Villa.

A report in the Sunday Times (ST) claimed West Midlands Police (WMP) had overstated the threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ahead of the match on 6 November, citing violence around a match in the Netherlands last year.

In response, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said that unless WMP had a good explanation, Chief Constable Craig Guildford should resign. Home Office minister Sarah Jones said she had written to him asking for clarity.

WMP has defended its evaluation, saying its plan was "proportionate".

The ST report on Sunday said an intelligence report relied on by the force had claimed some Maccabi-Tel Aviv fans were "highly organised, skilled fighters with a serious desire and will to fight with police and opposing groups".

It had also suggested that 500 to 600 of them had targeted Muslim communities in Amsterdam, and fans had been thrown in a river, claims which the newspaper said had been denied by Dutch police.

Putting an urgent question in the Commons, Conservative MP Nick Timothy demanded the publication of all intelligence material relating to the ban, and evidence considered by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

The panel, bringing together council and police experts, was responsible for imposing restrictions on away fans for the game on 6 November.

Calling for the government "to hold the West Midlands Police to account", Philp added: "The Maccabi fans were not skilled and organised fighters - it was just made up."

The minister told MPs that she had written to WMP to "get to the bottom" of the claims, and that the Home Office had asked His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services to carry out a wider investigation into how safety assessments were carried out.

She said the force was carrying out a debrief of events leading up to the match, and would be publishing "a timeline of events, the decisions taken and the rationale for the recommendations that were provided to the SAG".

Responding to the ST's claims, a spokesperson for the force said: "West Midlands Police's evaluation was based primarily on information and intelligence and had public safety at its heart.

"We assessed the fixture between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam as having involved significant public disorder.

"We met with Dutch police on October 1, where information relating to that 2024 fixture was shared with us."

Police concluded a sub-section of Maccabi fans posed "a credible threat to public safety".

They concluded: "We are satisfied that the policing strategy and operational plan was effective, proportionate, and maintained the city's reputation as a safe and welcoming place for everyone."