Bitter dispute erupts in British politics over Maccabi Tel Aviv fans
(MENAFN) A heated political debate has erupted in the UK over whether fans of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv should be allowed to attend their Europa League match in Birmingham.
Zarah Sultana, an independent MP formerly affiliated with Labour and now co-founding a new left-wing party with Jeremy Corbyn, condemned the club’s supporters. She linked their behavior to broader political issues in Israel, saying: “Maccabi Tel Aviv’s racist fan hooliganism cannot be separated from Israeli militarism. Many of these fans are active or former soldiers who have a part in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. They should be investigated for war crimes the moment they set foot onto British soil.”
Sultana’s remarks were sharply criticized by UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who warned against conflating the actions of a small group of fans with an entire community. She said: “Conflating being Jewish and Israeli…is itself antisemitism.”
Jeremy Corbyn also sought to separate fan behavior from broader issues, emphasizing that the Birmingham authorities had assessed previous incidents and deemed it unsafe for the match to be held there. He said: “It is absolutely not about banning Jewish or any other people.”
Ayoub Khan, an independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, backed the exclusion of Maccabi fans due to a history of hooliganism, citing violent and racist chants during past matches. He noted that local Jewish community leaders supported the ban on safety grounds.
The city’s Safety Advisory Group ruled last week that away fans would be barred from the November 6 game against Aston Villa. Nandy and Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the decision wrong, stressing that the match should proceed safely while ensuring public order and condemning antisemitism.
Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters have previously been linked to disorder across Europe, including incidents in Amsterdam and violent riots during domestic derbies in Israel.
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