Hundreds of officers to police Villa-Maccabi match

Last month, away fans were banned from the match, which had prompted a debate in parliament

Warnings of disruption have been issued by police as more than 700 officers prepare to mount an operation for Aston Villa's Uefa Europa League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Officers will be keeping the public safe and to tackle any crime and disorder on Thursday, West Midlands Police (WMP) said, with police horses, dogs, the force's drone unit, and road policing officers out in Birmingham.

Planned protests include one by supporters of Palestine, who want the match to be called off.

Last month, a decision to ban Tel Aviv fans from the event became the focus of parliamentary-level debate. The Israeli club later said supporters would not travel to Birmingham for safety reasons.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Stop the War Coalition, Muslim Association of Britain, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Kashmir solidarity campaign and Palestinian Forum in Britain have called for the match to be cancelled and jointly organised the protest.

'Maintaining peace'

Birmingham Police commander Ch Supt Tom Joyce, said: "We know protests by different groups will take place on the day, and we have plans in place which balance the right to protest with our duty to protect all communities in Birmingham."

Mr Joyce said officers were experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks had been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns.

He said: "Our goal throughout planning for this match is to ensure people can enjoy the football fixture while we continue to keep everyone in Birmingham safe."

He said this included facilitating peaceful protest and maintaining peace.

Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans in Amsterdam, last November

Naeem Malik, chair of West Midlands Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said there had been national outrage over the hosting of the Israeli team.

"The calls to cancel this match have been ignored despite the risks that it carries, therefore we must urge activists to unite in protest against this match," he said.

He claimed the Israeli side had been "directly involved in Israel's genocide against Palestinians in Gaza", because the club was involved in Israel's infrastructure in the occupied West Bank.

In September, a UN commission of inquiry said Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza with reasonable grounds to conclude four out of five genocidal acts had been carried out.

Israel's foreign ministry said it categorically rejected the UN report, denouncing it as "distorted and false".

'Hate crime offences'

The pro-Palestine protest will go on for the duration of the match, with groups coming together in peaceful chants, Mr Malik said.

When the ban was imposed, it emerged West Midlands Police had classified the fixture "high risk", citing "violent clashes and hate crime offences" during a November 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, in Amsterdam.

Groups planning to stage protests this Thursday also highlighted events in Amsterdam and said behaviour caught on camera and posted on social media included anti-Palestinian chants, racial slurs, and damage to infrastructure.

Abu Umaymah, from the Palestine Academy, said it was unacceptable the match was going ahead not only because of team was "complicit in the ongoing genocide", but also the "racist behaviour of the team's fans".

He said: "It is not enough that the fans are not allowed to attend this match."

Ron Winch, associate professor of policing, said the operational plan outlined by WMP was a "proportionate response"

Ron Winch, associate professor in policing at Birmingham City University and a former senior police officer, said WMP had to consider protests and counter-protests in and around the football ground, as well as in the city centre and at travel hubs.

"It looks like a substantial policing operation with some quite powerful resources including mounted branch, drones, specialist officers, in addition to the stewards that will be at the game anyway," he told BBC Radio WM.

He described the number of officers being deployed as a "reasonable and proportionate response to the threats and risks that the match faces, regardless of whether the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will be there".