Report Reveals UK Ban of Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans Is Based on Dutch Police Assessment: Hundreds Linked to Israeli Military and ‘Intent on Serious Violence’
London (QNN)- Newly revealed intelligence shows that the UK ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the club’s Europa Conference League match at Aston Villa on 6 November was based on serious security concerns.
The intelligence, shared between Dutch and British police, has exposed disturbing details about violent Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans. The report said more than 200 of them were linked to the Israeli army and hundreds more were “experienced fighters” who acted in a coordinated and aggressive manner.
The information was revealed by Middle East Eye (MEE) ahead of the Israeli club’s Europa Conference League match at Aston Villa, which was scheduled for 6 November in Birmingham.
British authorities had banned Maccabi fans from attending the match, citing public safety. The move sparked outrage in the UK government, which called the ban “antisemitic.” But according to the intelligence shared by Dutch police, the ban was based on serious concerns about organized violence, not religion or nationality.
The original police report stated that Dutch authorities had informed the UK that “over 200” fans in Amsterdam were “linked” to the Israeli military. Another 500 to 600 were described as “experienced fighters, highly organized, and intent on serious violence.”
Dutch police said Maccabi fans were involved in riots, confrontations, and attacks during their match against Ajax in November 2024. They assaulted locals, vandalized property, and chanted hate-filled slogans.
According to the assessment, fans “intentionally targeted Muslim communities,” attacking taxi drivers, tearing down Palestine flags, and throwing civilians into canals. Police attempts to control the group “resulted in serious violence.”
Despite the findings, British officials, including Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy, criticized the fan ban. She claimed it discriminated against Jews.
Former Labour leader and independent MP Jeremy Corbyn rejected Nandy’s statements. “The government distorted the facts for political ends,” he told MEE. “They lied to the British public and have been caught out.”
Ayoub Khan, independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, also defended the decision to uphold the ban. “The public deserve to know the truth,” he said. “These fans were attacking Muslims and confronting police in an organized way.”
Last week, Birmingham’s safety advisory group and the police reaffirmed the ban, stressing that public safety remains the priority.
In Amsterdam, city officials have already banned Maccabi Tel Aviv from playing there again after their supporters caused large-scale chaos last year. Streets turned into a battlefield, with police battling hundreds of violent fans linked to Israel’s army.
