Assets won't decide whether or not Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer followers can attend a match in Birmingham subsequent month, Tradition Secretary Lisa Nandy stated.
The town's Security Advisory Group (SAG), made up of police, council and security specialists, determined final week that on security grounds away followers could be barred from the Uefa Europa League fixture towards Aston Villa, on 6 November.
“It isn't for the federal government to evaluate the chance surrounding this soccer match,” Nandy stated, however stated ministers had been working collectively to fund the mandatory policing operation.
Her Conservative shadow, Nigel Huddlestone, stated the ban was “embarrassing and a shame”.
The SAG, which advises the council on whether or not to subject security certificates, will evaluate the choice if West Midlands Police adjustments its danger evaluation for the match, Birmingham Metropolis Council stated.
On Thursday, West Midlands Police stated it had labeled the fixture as “excessive danger” based mostly on present intelligence and former incidents, together with “violent clashes and hate crime offences” between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv followers earlier than a match in Amsterdam, in November 2024.
Nandy stated: “Following the choice final week, the federal government has been working with West Midlands Police and Birmingham Metropolis Council to assist them to contemplate all of the choices accessible, and to inform us what assets are wanted to handle the dangers, to make sure followers from each groups can attend safely.
“If the evaluation is revised, the protection advisory group will meet once more to debate choices.”
