Jerusalem, 21 October, 2025 (TPS-IL) — Maccabi Tel Aviv announced tonight that it has decided to decline any allocation offered for away fans at next month’s match against Aston Villa in Birmingham.
In a statement, the Israeli club denounces efforts by ‘various entrenched groups to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and to exploit isolated incidents for their own social and political ends’. The club goes on to say that the latest example is people rushing to attribute the decision of the Tel Aviv police to cancel Sunday’s derby match to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. ‘It was not’, it adds.
‘It is easier to believe than to enquire, especially when it suits an agenda’, the club emphasises noting that its first-team squad consists of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish players and its fan base crosses ethnic and religious divides.
‘We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base. Unfortunately, those issues are not restricted to israeli football; they are problems that the sport has been grappling with worldwide, including in the UK’, the Maccabi statement adds.
The Tel Aviv club further points out that its fans regularly travel all over Europe without incident and stresses that ‘to suggest that the reason our fans cannot be allowed to travel is due to their behaviour is an attempt to distort reality and excuse the real underlying reasons for the decision to ban our fans. Our fans and the Jewish community know all too well about this tactic, and are all too familiar with where it can lead’, the Club warns.
Furthermore, the announcement highlights the concern of Maccabi Tel Aviv about ‘divisive figures who do not represent the club’s values and condemns all abhorrent views that have no place in football’.
‘As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created which calls into serious doubt the safety of fans wishing to attend. Inflammatory rhetoric and half-truths are never healthy, but the remarks being generated in this particular case are of the most concerning variety. Not for Maccabi Tel Aviv or football, but for the sake of society and its underlying values, the agendas involved here should be examined more closely”, the announcement urges.
Stressing that ‘the wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount, and based on lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered for away fans. Our decision should be understood in this context,’ the club expresses hope that circumstances will change and adds that it looks forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.
Maccabi Tel Aviv also acknowledges the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely and adds that it is grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community and society at large.