Police asked for more information over Maccabi ban
Getty ImagesMPs have requested further information from West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council about decision-making that led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being banned from attending an Aston Villa match.
The Home Affairs Committee has written to police to clarify remarks made by Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara, when giving evidence to the Committee on 1 December.
Police are also strongly expected to made a further appearance before the committee in the new year, given developments since the previous session, it said.
The decision to ban away fans from Villa Park at the Europa League fixture on 6 November was widely criticised, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer "angered by the decision".
West Midlands Police confirmed it had received the letter from the Home Affairs Committee and said would be "responding in due course".
Jewish leader 'horrified'
The force had classified the match as high risk, based on "intelligence and previous incidents".
The committee has also written to the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU), requesting copies of the community impact assessment carried out ahead of the fixture.
It has also asked for records of UKFPU meetings and communications conducted as part of information gathering and decision making.
When he gave evidence to the committee, ACC O'Hara said Jewish community representatives had objected to the presence of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.
The force later said it did not mean to imply members of the Jewish community had agreed with the exclusion of the Israeli supporters.
The Sunday Times reported that ACC O'Hara had since written a letter of apology to members of the Jewish community.
On Monday, Ruth Jacobs, chair of Birmingham and West Midlands Jewish Community, said she had been "horrified" at the suggestion and that confidence in the police had been undermined for a lot of people in the community.
Lord Mann, the government's independent adviser on antisemitism, previously told the committee he "struggled" with some "inaccurate" details given by the West Midlands force.
Some of the evidence "conflated" different things in regard to a fixture against Ajax in Amsterdam in November 2024, he said, giving one example of running street battles that did not occur on a match day.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford told the committee the decision to ban fans "wasn't taken lightly".
"We have taken a careful approach," Mr Guildford told MPs, adding: "We haven't made anything fit."
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