UEFA to watch closely after latest Maccabi Tel Aviv controversy follows Aston Villa saga
Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv are making all of the headlines, weeks before they are scheduled to meet at Villa Park.
Tel Aviv supporters have been banned from the Europa League showdown at Aston Villa, with the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) and the West Midlands Police taking action over hooliganism fears.
Ayoub Khan even called for Villa against Tel Aviv to be cancelled back in September over Israel’s conflict with Palestine, with constant dialogue about the fixture continuing.
Things got worse this weekend, with Maccabi Tel Aviv versus Hapoel Tel Aviv cancelled hours before kick-off due to fan riots at the Bloomfield Stadium, via Sky News.
UEFA watch closely after worrying scenes in Tel Aviv
Keith Hackett admits there is likely pressure for the 6 November game to go ahead with away fans in attendance, still, with security teams in constant dialogue over every possible outcome.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, the ex-PGMOL chief and FIFA-listed referee admitted that there is pressure to reach a resolution, with UEFA watching closely at the latest drama from the Tel Aviv derby.
“There is no doubt that the government have got involved through the Prime Minister, clearly putting pressure on the game to go ahead with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in attendance,” Hackett said.
“The security team at Aston Villa, along with the police, have in place a structure for assessing the risks to local communities and, of course, fan safety.
“Given the clashes over the weekend at the derby match in Tel Aviv, today I have no doubt that the security team will have had further meetings to update their risk assessments, and UEFA will no doubt be monitoring the situation very carefully.“
Aston Villa history of dealing with high-profile matches
Hackett went on to share his experiences of dealing with massive games, such as when the FA Cup semi-finals were held at neutral venues, not Wembley.
“Aston Villa have great experience of dealing with big games with huge success,” he said.
“While it is some years ago, the games I officiated at Villa Park, including FA Cup semi-finals, passed without incident due to their excellent planning and high levels of security, which on many occasions went unnoticed.
“Perhaps whilst we all want away fans to be in attendance at games this week, some difficult decisions have had to be made.
“We all want to protect the image of our great game, not violent scenes being screened by people who do not represent their club.”
Despite a petition to overturn the fan ban reaching 16,000 signatures, via Birmingham Mail, it appears unlikely at this stage that it will happen.
Of course, anything could happen between now and 6 November.
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