Why Keir Starmer has slammed Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv decision as statement made
Aston Villa are set to face Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League next month.
The Villans have kicked off their continental campaign in ideal fashion after Villa secured a 2-0 win over Feyenoord away from home.
Unai Emery’s side made it six points from six in the Netherlands just a week after Villa secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Bologna at Villa Park.
Attention has now turned to Villa’s upcoming clash against Tottenham in the Premier League on Saturday after the international break.
The clash in North London will now be played in the midst of huge controversy after Keir Starmer reacted to the latest announcement in B6.
Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv will have no away fans
Villa have a long history of legendary players from all sorts of backgrounds that have lit the touchpaper in claret and blue.
That is no different right now as the Midlands outfit have one of their strongest squads in recent memory.
There are realistic hopes that Emery could push his side to secure his fourth Europa League title as the Villans are the bookies’ favourite to do so.
First, they have the group stage to contend with, but the B6 club have caused widespread debate ahead of their home clash with Maccabi Tel Aviv on 6 November.
Villa released a statement on 16 October which confirmed that no away fans will be permitted to attend the Europa League clash at Villa Park.
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which is responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match, has formally written to the club and UEFA to advise that no away fans will be allowed inside the ground.
This has caused a massive stir within the football world and beyond, with various political figures getting involved.
Keir Starmer slams Aston Villa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv decision
The controversy surrounding Israel and Palestine was always bound to cause tension when Maccabi travelled to Villa Park.
Local MP for Perry Barr, Ayoub Khan, has backed the decision because of what he has referred to as “latent safety risks” from the potential “hostility and uncertainty”.
Prime Minister Starmer has spoken out to share a scathing review of the statement.
He said: “This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.“
Villa may not have made this decision themselves, but they are still facing their fair share of scrutiny for this decision.
It will be interesting to see if this backlash changes anything, but it is fair to say that critics aren’t going anywhere quietly.
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