Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will be allowed into next week’s Europa League match at Stuttgart as banning them was not considered, the German club has confirmed to Sky News.
It contrasts with the Israeli club’s fans being excluded from Aston Villa last month after police in Birmingham cited safety threats – a decision now condemned by Europe’s main football supporters’ group.
West Midlands Police chiefs justified the decision on Monday to the Home Affairs Select Committee by referencing racist violence by the Maccabi fans in Amsterdam last year – evidence disputed in part by the Dutch police to Sky News.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
We have learned officials in southeast Germany did not consider imposing a ban on Maccabi fans next Thursday for the club’s first Europa League away match since the trip to Birmingham.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv fans can attend this game,” Bundesliga club Stuttgart told Sky News.
“There was no discussion in Stuttgart about excluding away fans – neither among the local authorities nor within the club.”
The municipal council in Stuttgart said that after talks with “all the authorities that deal with public safety, all of them are well prepared and focus on securing public safety”.
Ukraine war latest: Fighter jets deployed to bolster defences in two NATO countries – as Putin says US peace talks ‘challenging’
Gaza longs for normality, but quasi-anarchy reigns and Hamas is once again exerting control
Fresh sanctions on Russia seem futile – Putin is more belligerent than ever
Be the first to get Breaking News
Install the Sky News app for free
The decision to allow Israeli fans into Stuttgart’s MHP Arena has been backed by Football Supporters Europe, which is now expressing concern about the moves by authorities in Birmingham to shut out Maccabi fans amid community tensions inflamed by the Israel-Hamas war.
Read more:
Maccabi boss hits out at ‘blatant falsehoods’
Police blame ban on ‘significant hooliganism’
“An away travel ban is always an admission of defeat from the public authorities,” Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, told Sky News.
“The vast majority of police forces in Europe are perfectly capable of hosting away fans – that’s why only a handful of countries resort to travel bans.
“Germany is very experienced in organising high-profile games and never had to resort to such extreme measures.
“We are happy that, contrary to the West Midlands Police, German police opted for an intelligence-informed approach and the protection of fans’ fundamental rights, including freedom of movement.”
