The Home Office was briefed last week United Kingdom Football Policing Unit about plans to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their teams away fixture to Aston Villa in Birmingham, it has been revealed.
The United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) said in a statement it "supported West Midlands Police in gaining access to the full details of the previous incidents in Amsterdam via the European policing network so they had all the relevant information available to them".
"Following this, the Home Office were briefed last week by the UKFPU about the potential issues and options that the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) may take including restrictions on visiting fans," it further stated.
"The Safety Advisory Group is made up of independent bodies who make recommendations to the licensing authorities and the priority is always the safety of those attending matches and the wider public."
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The police unit added that the process was supported by the Sports Ground Safety Authority.
"It is important that we respect and support the structures in place for making these decisions," the UKFPU said.
"If there are any adverse incidents, then they are the ones that will be held responsible.
"The UKFPU, in the wake of the Casey Review following the serious disorder at Wembley in 2021, has suggested that if the government want a role in regulating football events that could be termed ‘events of national significance’, then they need to bring forward legislation to formalise this to ensure accountability sits with decision-makers.”
West Midlands Police cited violence during last November's clash between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv as a reason to ban travelling supporters from Villa Park | GETTYThe statement comes after senior cabinet ministers, including Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy and Communities Secrretary Steve Reed were working to find a resolution to the situation.
It has even prompted No10 to come out, saying "The Prime Minister is angered by this decision".
Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group controversially ruled that away fans would not be allowed at the November 6 fixture after West Midlands Police designated the match “high risk”.
The No10 spokesman added: "We should not have a country where we tell people to stay away from certain events".
UKFPU saidd it had raised the issue with the Home Office last week
| GETTYThe spokesman added that Football has been a “unifying force in this country for decades”.
“We will never tolerate antisemitism on the streets,” he added.
“This is wrong and we are working to find a way through it.”
However, it is not unusual for fans to be banned from travelling to away games, only as a Uefa-mandated punishment.
But, French authorities prevented Feyenoord fans from attending a match in Lille in January, having cited numerous incidents of fan violence.
Ajax fans were banned last month from having their fans attend a Champions League match in Marseille.
That came after the French Interior Ministry banned "anyone claiming to be an Ajax Amsterdam supporter" from travelling between the French border and the southern city.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism said on Friday it would be bringing a judicial review against the ban, telling Birmingham City Council and West Midlands Police that it was "pernicious" and had "angered the whole country".
A number of MPs from across the political spectrum had come out condemning the ban.
Along with Sir Keir's anger, Sir Ed Davey has called on the Government to act quickly on reversing the ban.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch called for Sir Keir to "show that he's got a backbone".
She had earlier called the ban a "national disgrace".
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