It is very hard for us': Maccabi Tel Aviv aim to give absent fans reason to smile

"The Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho urged his teammates to make their supporters smile against Aston Villa, after away fans were banned from the politically charged Europa League match on Thursday. The Israeli club's fans were prohibited from attending on public safety grounds but, despite the ban, West Midlands police have been granted section 60 stop-and-search powers and plan to deploy more than 700 officers around Villa Park to cope with protests and potential unrest."

"It is very hard for us, said Sissokho. Every home game in Europe we play in Serbia, so it's a big difference. We know the fans are very important for us. We have to think about them because they will watch the game on the TV. We have to give everything on the pitch to give them a smile and perform as a team. We have to concentrate on the team and play our game with this feeling."

"The leaguephase match has become a major talking point since Maccabi supporters were banned from attending by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group, whose decision was based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred around their Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year. The decision was criticised by some as a surrender to antisemitism, with calls for the ban to be overturned."

Maccabi Tel Aviv's away supporters were banned from attending the politically charged Europa League match at Villa Park on public safety grounds. West Midlands police received section 60 stop-and-search powers and planned to deploy over 700 officers to manage protests and potential unrest. Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group based the ban on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate-crime offences in Amsterdam. The decision drew political criticism and calls for reversal. Maccabi play home European matches in Belgrade, and midfielder Issouf Sissokho urged teammates to give everything on the pitch for fans watching on TV, while coach Zarko Lazetic declined to judge the ban.

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