Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv: West Midlands Police make six arrests ahead of Europa League fixture at Villa Park

West Midlands Police have made six arrests as part of their operation ahead of Aston Villa's Europa League fixture with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Last month, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned from attending Thursday's match at Villa Park due to safety concerns, which drew immediate criticism from politicians, including Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The Israeli club later said in a statement they would not sell tickets to their fans for the match.

The decision to ban supporters was based on concerns from West Midlands Police about its ability to deal with potential protests relating to the war in Gaza.

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Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv explainer: Protests, no away fans & 700 police

Police have arrested a man, 21, for failing to comply with an order to remove a face mask, a boy, 17, for failing to comply with a dispersal order, three people for racially-aggravated public order offences and one for a breach of the peace.

More than 700 police officers from 25 forces are on duty at Villa Park with police horses, police dogs and a drone unit part of the operation, with protests by different groups taking place.

Police have briefed tonight's match officials on contingency plans if any spectators enter the field of play during the game.

Before the match, around 200 protesters including members of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign gathered near Villa Park's Trinity Road stand to demand Israel is excluded from international football.

Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott of Israel had also been placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid pro-Palestinian chants.

Five flatbed vehicles were driven past the ground prior to kick-off carrying electronic billboards showing messages opposing antisemitism.

One of the messages, beside a Star of David, read "Ban hatred not fans" while another carried a quote from Thierry Henry saying football is not about goals but bringing people together.

Around 40 protesters, one carrying an Israeli flag, and others carrying posters saying "keep antisemitism out of football", gathered on a basketball court on Witton Lane, close to the Doug Ellis Stand, to hear various speakers oppose the ban on Maccabi fans.

The Revd Tim Gutmann, founder of Christian Action Against Antisemitism, told the crowd that the protest was against "an ancient hate and an ancient evil that hasn't stopped, and has again risen in our time".

Holding up a placard saying "Never Again Is Now", he added: "As a Christian it's important for me to be here to show that we stand with our fight and stop the hate.

"These are huge moments for a nation. We cannot have no-go zones for Israeli football fans. We can't have no-go zones for Jewish people."

Villa supporter Adam Selway arrived for the match wearing a half-and-half scarf in the colours of the home side and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The 48-year-old said he was not making any political statement, felt sympathy with fans unable to attend and simply wanted to watch a football match.

"It's not about politics, it's about football," he said. "It's not the Villa fans that don't want anyone here - the Villa fans want the away fans here."

Who decided to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans?

Aston Villa's statement said the decision to ban away supporters from Villa Park "follows an instruction" from Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), based on the advice of West Midlands Police.

Safety Advisory Groups are responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches.

However, according to the Health and Safety Executive government website, Safety Advisory Groups are "non-statutory bodies and so do not have legal powers or responsibilities, and are not empowered to approve or prohibit events from taking place".

The website adds: "Event organisers and others involved in the running of an event retain the principal legal duties for ensuring public safety".

The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) was also involved in advising on the decision.

"The UKFPU supported West Midlands Police in gaining access to the full details of the previous incidents in Amsterdam via the European policing network so they had all the relevant information available to them," it said in a statement.

"Following this, the Home Office were briefed last week by the UKFPU about the potential issues and options that the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) may take including restrictions on visiting fans."

Why did Maccabi Tel Aviv refuse to sell away fans tickets?

Maccabi said in a statement: "The well-being and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.

"We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future."

The statement questioned the motives of those seeking to justify the ban.

"We acknowledge the efforts of the UK government and police to ensure both sets of fans can attend the match safely, and are grateful for the messages of support from across the footballing community and society at large," said the club.

"Our first-team squad consists of Muslims, Christian and Jewish players and our fan base also crosses the ethnic and religious divide. We have also been working tirelessly to stamp out racism within the more extreme elements of our fan base.

"It is clear that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.

"As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created, which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt."

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