A poll suggests that the British public largely supports the decision to ban fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending their upcoming match against Aston Villa, despite outrage from right-wing politicians and xenophobic commentators.
Those findings were further reinforced by Sunday’s shocking scenes involving Maccabi supporters. Police dramatically called off the match against rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv just before kick-off, citing a “breach of order and risk to human life” as chaos unfolded inside the stadium.
On Thursday, West Midlands Police announced a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans for the Aston Villa match, classifying the fixture as “high-risk.” The decision followed intelligence reports warning of potential violence and hate crimes linked to incidents involving Israeli supporters during a 2024 match in Amsterdam.
As the weekend match in Israel shows, fans of the Israeli club have developed a notorious reputation, repeatedly accused of inciting violence and racist behaviour.
And unsurprisingly, many Brits don’t want to see that sort of behaviour in the UK. According to a YouGov survey of 6,810 adults, 42% of Britons said they agreed with the ban, while 28% opposed it and 30% were unsure.
Support was higher in the Midlands, where the match will take place on 6 November, with 45% in favour of a ban, 25% against and 30% not sure.
The findings suggest the ban enjoys broader public support, undermining attempts by some right-wing figures to frame the issue as a “Muslims versus Jews” dispute — a narrative amplified online by racist trolls spreading anti-Muslim rhetoric.
What happened in Amsterdam with Maccabi fans?
Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the police decision, calling it “the wrong move”, and ministers are reportedly considering ways to overturn the ban.
But fans in the Midlands have voiced concern over the blatant racism displayed during the incidents in Amsterdam.
Videos from Amsterdam in 2024 showed Maccabi fans chanting “f** the Arabs”* and “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there!” while ripping up Palestinian flags.
Fans were also filmed arming themselves with sticks and pipes and clashing with local youths. Similar disturbances have been reported in Athens and other European cities. Amsterdam City Council banned Maccabi fans from the Dutch capital following the incidents.
A study by the Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace found that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters led the Israeli league in racist chanting, with 118 racist incidents recorded during a single season between 2024 and 2025.
Independent MP Ayoub Khan, who represents a constituency in Birmingham and advocated for the ban, said he did not want to see the kind of racism witnessed in Amsterdam repeated in the UK.
“We cannot conflate antisemitism when we look at what some of these fans did in Amsterdam in 2024,” Khan told BBC Newsnight. “The vile chants of racism and hatred. The chants ‘that there are no schools left in Gaza because they’re no children left in Gaza.’ We’re talking about violent fans.”
Khan faced criticism from several politicians and commentators, accusing him of racism, even as many of the same voices appear to ignore the potential of racist abuse of Maccabi fans towards Brits.
Should Israeli clubs even be allowed to compete in the first place?
The UK Football Policing Unit defended the ban decision, saying it was made on public safety grounds and followed standard risk assessments. “It is important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions,” the unit said in a statement.
The ban is not without precedent. In November 2023, Aston Villa banned Legia Warsaw fans from attending a Europa Conference League match due to violence. There was no outrage from right wing politcians and media back then.
The controversy comes amid growing international scrutiny of Israel’s participation in European football.
The Palestinian Football Association has repeatedly called on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israel from competition, citing human rights violations and the genocide in Gaza. Russia is banned due to its invasion of Ukraine, but Israeli clubs still participate.
Israel currently competes in European tournaments after being expelled from the Asian Football Confederation in 1974, when several Arab countries refused to play against Israeli teams. It was admitted to UEFA in 1994.
Image credit: By Ian Wilson from London, England – Villa Park, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3992217
