(Credit: Imago and Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube)
(Credit: Imago and Piers Morgan Uncensored on YouTube)
Match

Alan Sugar agrees with what Piers Morgan said about Maccabi Tel Aviv fan controversy vs Aston Villa

Pete Hanson
Pete Hanson

Head of Editorial Standards & Recruitment AUTHORITY Former senior digital journalist at Stats Perform; network specialist in live data, editorial standards, and journalist recruitment. FOCUS Editorial standards, Statscore live data integration, newsroom operations, and recruitment. THE BRIEF Pete brings deep data expertise from his time at Stats Perform to oversee the network’s use of Statscore’s live data, setting the standard for how writers use it to produce original editorial content. He is also responsible for maintaining editorial standards and leading recruitment across the network.

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The fallout from the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending the Europa League clash with Aston Villa continues to spark debate.

An announcement this week was made to confirm that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters would not be allowed at Villa Park on 6 November amid safety concerns from the police.

Birmingham Perry Barr MP Ayoub Khan called for the Villa vs Tel Aviv fixture to be cancelled back in September, due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine in the Middle East.

The decision of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the West Midlands Police has sparked a huge debate, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch among those to criticise.

aston villa

Alan Sugar weighs in on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter ban debate

The call to ban visiting Tel Aviv supporters is one that was out of the control of the club, but it is one that looks certain to continue dominating headlines until the clash takes place.

One of the reasons for the decision is thought to be due to a history of hooliganism involving Tel Aviv supporters.

TV personality and former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan alluded to those suggestions with a post on an X saying that should mean all fans of British clubs should be banned from Europe if that is the case.

Morgan's post read: "So all British clubs with a hooligan element should be banned from going to away matches too? That would be every club."

Former Tottenham chairman Alan Sugar, a noted TV personality and star of the BBC One reality show 'The Apprentice', agreed with Morgan's post and suggested the decision had nothing to do with hooliganism.

"Very true. Macarbi ban has nothing to with hooligans," Sugar responded on X.

Aston Villa had nothing to do with the decision

The discourse around the announcement this week has dominated everything to do with Aston Villa this week.

Ultimately, though, it should be stressed that this was a decision that was not made at the behest of the club, but taken as a result of concerns elsewhere.

  • The SAG informed Villa and UEFA that away supporters will not be allowed to attend the match
  • Villa released a statement on 16 October confirming the news
  • UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer slammed the decision after the Villa statement

It is an extremely delicate situation to navigate through and it remains to be seen if the pressure being applied will lead to a relaxation of the initial decision.

For now, though, the fixture at Villa Park is set to take place without visiting supporters, and there appears little to suggest that the arguments on both sides will subside before the fixture takes place.

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