"His decision to step down was prompted by what he described as the political and media frenzy surrounding the ban on Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv from their team's match with Aston Villa in Birmingham. Days earlier, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood publicly stated that she had lost confidence in Guildford's leadership after sustained political and media pressure; it was the first time in two decades a home secretary has done so."
"This was not a scandal involving corruption, brutality or police cover-ups but a risk assessment. The British media and public officials tore apart the internal advice on which the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from Villa Park in November was based. In doing so, the British state in effect sided with the fans of an Israeli football club against its own police."
"Ministers and much of the media framed the ban as a moral outrage, even a national disgrace. West Midlands Police later acknowledged errors in its assessment. Those mistakes should be noted but be kept in proportion. They do not amount to proof of bad faith, conspiracy or prejudice. An independent review found no evidence that officers were influenced by anti-Semitism or malign intent a finding that has been largely drowned out by the public outrage machine."
Craig Guildford, chief constable of West Midlands Police, retired after intense political and media backlash over a decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from an Aston Villa match. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in his leadership, the first such action by a home secretary in two decades. The ban resulted from a police risk assessment informed by prior violence. West Midlands Police later acknowledged assessment errors, while an independent review found no evidence of anti‑Semitism or malign intent. Maccabi Tel Aviv's fanbase has a documented hooligan element with violent, racist, and explicitly anti‑Palestinian behaviour.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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