West Midlands Police confirmed six arrests were made prior to kick-off ahead of Aston Villa's Europa League clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park. Three of those were arrested for "racially aggravated public order offences", police said. A 21-year-old man was arrested for "failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask", a 17-year-old boy for "failing to comply with a dispersal order", while one person for "a breach of the peace".
When Maccabi Tel Aviv were drawn to face Aston Villa in the Europa League, the fixture immediately stood out. The prospect of an Israeli team travelling to play a club based in a predominantly Muslim area prompted concerns from those in charge of ensuring the fixture passes off safely. Six weeks ago, there was even a chance the game might not go ahead, with calls for Israeli teams to be removed from international competitions because of the Israel-Gaza war.
Birmingham's safety advisory group is meeting next week and is expected to produce proposals about the extra resources West Midlands police would need to allow the match to go ahead safely with away fans. The force last week barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from the match because of concerns that officers would not be able to police it safely. They cited violent clashes and hate crime offences at a Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam in 2024.
