Birmingham City Council & West Midlands Police ban Jews from watching football match...

Minister to meet officials over 'unacceptable' decision to block Tel Aviv fans



The culture secretary will meet officials on Friday to discuss the "utterly unacceptable" decision to block Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a football match in Birmingham, a government minister has said.

Aston Villa said on Thursday the city's Safety Advisory group - responsible for issuing safety certificates - advised that fans of the Israeli club would not be permitted to attend the 6 November Europa League match.

The decision, supported by West Midlands Police, was criticised by Sir Keir Starmer.

Minister Ian Murray said "we will do everything we possibly can to resolve this issue" while the West Midlands police commissioner said he had requested an immediate review of the decision.

Sir Keir said on Thursday evening banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the fixture was the "wrong decision", writing on X: "We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets."

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branded the move a "national disgrace" and suggested Sir Keir should act to reverse it.

"If not, it sends a horrendous and shameful message: there are parts of Britain where Jews simply cannot go," she said.

Murray said Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy "will be meeting with the Home Office and other stakeholders today to try and see if there's a way through" the decision, which he called "just completely and utterly unacceptable".

On Friday, Simon Foster, West Midlands' Police and Crime Commissioner, asked Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group and the police to meet "at the earliest possible opportunity and conduct an immediate review of the decision".

He said the purpose of the review was to determine "whether or not this decision and recommendation is appropriate, necessary, justified, reasonable and a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim".

Aston Villa said it was in "continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities," with the safety of supporters and local residents "at the forefront of any decision".

Boss of council behind ban on Tel Aviv fans ‘used anti-Semitic slur’



The boss of the council behind a ban on Israeli football fans from Villa Park was previously accused of calling a property agent “a massive Jewish b---end”.

Joanne Roney, the managing director of Birmingham city council, is accused of making the anti-Semitic comment while working at another local authority.

Birmingham council has faced backlash after the city’s safety advisory group blocked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending a Europa League game against Aston Villa on Nov 6.

Fans of the Israeli club were told on Thursday that they would be barred from watching their team at Villa Park following a recommendation from West Midlands Police to the advisory group.

The force had declared the fixture “high-risk”, saying the warning was informed by violence last November when the Israeli club travelled to play Ajax Amsterdam.

The safety advisory group is chaired by Birmingham city council’s head of resilience and is responsible for issuing safety certificates for football matches. The head of resilience ultimately works for Ms Roney.

Ms Roney is alleged to have made the anti-Semitic comment in 2022, while she was head of Manchester city council. It was allegedly made about property agent Ben Rose, who is not Jewish but worked for Weis Group, an Orthodox Jewish landowner.

At the time, the group was in a dispute with Greater Manchester Combined Authority over claims that the authority had given loans to a large developer and had “distorted” the property market.

Mr Rose filed a legal claim against Manchester city council and Ms Roney. The local authority denies the claim for damages and unlawful discrimination. A trial will be held in the civil court later this year.

He told the Manchester Evening News in January: “As a property professional seeking nothing else but a fair and equitable outcome for my client, this is not the sort of case I ever expected to bring.

“However, I believe that anti-Semitism has no place in our society, particularly within organs of Government. As there are active legal proceedings now live, I cannot comment on the case in detail. However, I put my faith in the courts to uncover the truth of what was said.”

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/10/17/birmingham-council-boss-tel-aviv-fans-ban-anti-semitic-slur/