Villa-Maccabi clash to have 700 police deployed

More than 700 police officers will be deployed to ensure public safety when Aston Villa face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League on Thursday.

Residents living close to Villa Park have been warned of significant disruption as a result of the policing for the match, from which supporters of the Israeli club were initially banned before Maccabi decided not to take up their ticket allocation for safety reasons.

Pro-Palestinian groups have called for the game to be cancelled and, with protests due to take place, senior officers from West Midlands Police have warned those attending over their behaviour.

Birmingham Police commander, Chief Superintendent Tom Joyce, said: “Anyone who breaks the law will be dealt with directly, as will those who incite hate.

“We have been working closely with partners including Birmingham City Council, Aston Villa Football Club, our colleagues in other emergency services, as we put in place our significant policing operation.

“People can expect to see a large number of uniformed officers, as well as police horses, police dogs, our drone unit, road policing unit, protest liaison officers and others.

“We will also be ensuring that we continue to provide the same great policing service to the whole of the West Midlands.”

Joyce added: “We know protests by different groups will take place on the day, and we have plans in place which balance the right to protest with our duty to protect all communities in Birmingham.

“We are experienced at policing high-profile football matches and demonstrations, and for many weeks now we have been working closely with different faith and local community groups to listen to their views and concerns.

“Our goal throughout planning for this match is to ensure people can enjoy the football fixture while we continue to keep everyone in Birmingham safe, facilitate peaceful protest and maintain the King’s peace.”

The Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which is responsible for issuing safety certificates for every game at Villa Park, opted not to allow away fans to attend the fixture following West Midlands Police’s risk assessment — a decision which drew criticism from politicians including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

However, Maccabi later announced they would decline the offer of tickets because of the “toxic atmosphere” the initial decision had caused.