West Midlands police have faced significant backlash from the Jewish community over the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a Europa League clash at Villa Park next month
October 17, 2025 14:13
A Jewish Aston Villa fan has told the JC he is beginning to doubt whether the UK is still a safe place for Jewish people after telling his six-year-old son not to wear a Magen David necklace to their team’s upcoming match.
Father of two, Dan, 42, from Hertfordshire, said he will be taking extra precautions when attending the Europa League fixture against Maccabi Tel Aviv on November 6, including arriving hours early to avoid protests and asking his six-year-old son, Jonah, not to wear any visible Jewish symbols.
“My son said, ‘Can I wear my Magen David necklace?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t think you should.’ I said he couldn’t get any Maccabi Tel Aviv merchandise either,” Dan recalled. “Even as a six-year-old, he is picking up the vibe that this is not a safe place to be.”
Dan – who asked the JC not to publish his last name – said the decision to bar fans of the Israeli club from attending the match has left him “ashamed” and “disgusted.” The decision was made by West Midlands Police, citing security concerns.
The prime minister is understood to be "angered" by the move and has promised to do "everything in his power" to ensure all fans can go to the match.
Downing Street said ministers from across government have been urgently working to support police and the local authority to ensure all Maccabi fans could attend the game.
But Dan has called on the prime minister to act more decisively: “Keir Starmer needs to back his narrative. Actions, not words, are what is needed here.”
A lifelong Villa supporter, Dan had booked the match as a “special treat” for his son, who plays for youth team Maccabi London Lions FC and attended his first Villa game at the age of three.
He said it was going to be a great opportunity for Jewish fans of Villa to see the Israeli team, but he is now focusing on keeping his son safe on matchday.
“I told him about what has been happening. I said it is such a shame but there will be no Maccabi Tel Aviv fans there,” said Dan. “Jonah said, ‘But daddy, why has England banned fans? Will that impact the game? Will it be unfair on Maccabi Tel Aviv?’”
Dan added that his son no longer wears his Maccabi Lions football shirt in public and that they have discussed whether to attend the match at all. He has decided to take Jonah out of school early to get to the game before any protests erupt.
“We’ve been discussing if we should go and, if we do go, then when we should go. For his safety and for my safety, we will travel up first thing and make sure we are in the ground before any demonstration, protest or antisemitic behaviour becomes apparent.
"We would typically leave at about 2 or 3pm, but the reality of this is – given the safety impact that currently exists – we will leave first thing, as early as possible, so that we are ring-fenced from any bad behaviour that may emerge.”
He added: “It only takes one mad hatter to do what happened up in Manchester on Yom Kippur. That mad hatter could bomb Villa Park.”
“I look Jewish, I have all the features of a Jewish individual, and my name is Jewish... I will be wearing an Aston Villa shirt and hoodie. My hope is that I’ll be disguised enough.”
Dan said he is “ashamed at this moment in time to be an Aston Villa fan,” although he stressed that “this isn’t Aston Villa’s decision – this is the police and local authorities who have decided on this”.
He claimed the police had “let themselves down” and failed to protect Israeli fans. “They sent a very clear message to the UK that anyone of Jewish or Zionist descent who is proud to wear the colours of Maccabi Tel Aviv... are not permitted in the public domain at sporting events. What next? Do we now have to be banned from other social activities? Other sporting events?
“It should be down to the police to make sure they are equipped... Why not add the right level of police protection to bring Maccabi fans to Villa Park in a safe environment?”
“You should be proud to be a Jewish supporter of a club like Aston Villa that should represent all that is multi-faith and multicultural.
“We’ve all been let down, not just as Aston Villa fans, but by the wider rhetoric that now casts doubt on whether we feel demonstrably safe in the UK.”
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