Aston Villa Stadium Villa Park
West Midlands Police Chief Craig Guildford and Assistant Chief Constable Mike O’Hara found themselves under significant pressure from a group of influential MPs regarding their decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending a recent match against Aston Villa. The ban, which was enacted last month, drew fierce criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who expressed his ‘anger’ over what was perceived as a potentially antisemitic action.
Paul Kohler, MP for Wimbledon, said: “The report had cited a fictitious match off the internet, yet there had been no attempt to speak to clubs or forces in the UK that have policed recent Maccabi Tel Aviv games.”
In response to the criticism, Guildford acknowledged inaccuracies in the report, admitting that some information was derived from a ‘social media post’. He stated:
“I’ve been really straightforward in saying that was wrong but that does not mean the document was wrong.”
Guildford further revealed that the contentious report was primarily based on an ‘unrecorded’ conversation between a West Midlands chief inspector and three Dutch counterparts, who had previously managed security for a Maccabi match in Amsterdam. The report included descriptions of violence, such as attacks on taxi drivers and racist chants, which Guildford claimed influenced his safety concerns for the match.
Despite these admissions, Guildford maintained that the Dutch police had supported the West Midlands’ version of events, although he acknowledged discrepancies between their accounts and a report by The Sunday Times. He stated:
“They are under a lot of pressure from city hall…they did not recognise (some of the Sunday Times article)…they seem rather apologetic to us as a force and are trying to provide something meaningful and accurate.”
The decision to ban the fans was further scrutinized by MPs, with questions raised about potential political interference. Foster, responsible for senior officer appointments, expressed surprise at the decision, describing it as politically charged. However, he affirmed his continued faith in Guildford, pending further scrutiny of the decision-making process.
Foster said: “I was surprised at the decision to ban the fans, I don’t think that was the most appropriate…. or sensible decision.”
Home Office Minister Sarah Jones confirmed that the ban announcement triggered significant governmental and police activity, despite lacking concrete intelligence at the time. The match proceeded without Maccabi’s fans, with 700 police officers deployed to maintain order amid protests, resulting in 11 arrests and no injuries.
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