Ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is a terrible decision – and a depressing one | Barney Ronay

Birmingham has taken a step in the wrong direction by announcing that supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli team, will be barred from attending their upcoming Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The decision, which was made with safety concerns as its supposed justification, reeks of political posturing and divisiveness.

It's hard to see a logical reason for this blanket ban on supporters from one particular country. Who are we not going to ban? How can the England team avoid scrutiny if this is the new standard? The Paris Saint-Germain Champions League celebrations led to mass arrests and death, yet our authorities choose to focus on the Israeli fans.

This decision is a feeble admission of inadequacy from the British police force. They have walked through flying bricks for provocative National Front marches but suddenly become paralyzed when it comes to protecting peaceful supporters. It's a shameful display of hypocrisy.

The real concern should be the potential for this decision to create a slippery slope, with politicians trying to draw lines in the sand based on nationality and ethnicity. This could lead to a new era of division and propaganda, where protests and demonstrations are harnessed as a means of furthering divisive agendas.

Instead of resorting to grand gestures and platitudes about tolerance and unity, we should be focusing on robust policing and reversing this decision if it's proven to be unjustified. The police need to examine the details, take action to address any concerns, and model something better in terms of inclusivity and equality.

This is a terrible moment for Birmingham, which is already grappling with a significant rise in reported antisemitic hate crimes. It's time for the city to come together and reject this divisive decision, rather than succumbing to it.

Ugh, come on! Birmingham's being super dramatic here... if they're really concerned about safety, they should just implement normal security measures that apply to everyone, not make a huge exception for one group of fans from Israel . And what's with the double standard? PSG gets no love when it comes to arrests and violence, but suddenly Israeli fans are getting singled out? Not cool! The real problem here is the authorities being too scared to deal with protests in a fair way... instead of making sweeping bans that only make things worse . Can't we just focus on having a good match and enjoying some football without all the drama and politics?!

I don’t usually comment but... what's going on with Birmingham? This new rule seems like such an overreaction . Like, I get that safety is a concern, but can't we just talk about the issue at hand without pitting people against each other by nationality or whatever? And honestly, it feels really unfair to only be targeting Israeli fans . What's next, bans on PSG supporters because of their fancy French vibes?

I'm not sure what's more concerning - the ban itself or that our authorities are already being so sensitive to criticism . Like, if we're gonna call out bad policing, shouldn't we be willing to listen and learn? Instead of just trying to appear inclusive and tolerant by virtue .

Anyway, this whole thing is just really frustrating . Birmingham should be better than this . We need some real leadership that can tackle the issues head-on, not just make grand gestures and pretend like everything's fine

Ugh what's going on with Birmingham?? Can't they just focus on keeping everyone safe instead of getting all politicized? I mean, I get where they're coming from, safety is key, but can't we just have a dialogue about it? This whole thing feels like a huge mistake and it's only gonna create more problems . What's next, banning fans from other countries too? It's just so... divisive . And to make matters worse, it's like they're trying to send a message that Israeli fans aren't worthy of respect . Newsflash: people love sports regardless of where they're from and we should be celebrating diversity not segregating it

idk why birmingham did this it feels like they're trying to create more drama instead of solving real problems. i mean what's the point of banning one group of fans from a match? it's not gonna stop anything bad from happening, and it'll just cause more tension between supporters of different teams. shouldn't we be focusing on making sure everyone's safe at the stadium regardless of where they're from? this decision feels like a huge step backwards for a city that's already dealing with some pretty serious issues like hate crimes. birmingham needs to come together and do something positive instead of letting politics get in the way

I'm really disappointed to see Birmingham going down this road . I mean, who decides that one nationality is off limits? And what about all the other countries whose fans could potentially clash with each other? It feels like they're just trying to cover their backsides and avoid any controversy. The fact that they're singling out Israeli supporters is just ridiculous - it's like they think there are no other issues at play here.

I'm also not buying the whole safety concern thing . I've been to plenty of big matches where there were no problems, and this one feels like a bit of an overreaction. And what about all the other countries whose fans could potentially cause trouble? Are they going to be barred too?

It's just so unfair that some people are being singled out based on their nationality. It's not right . Birmingham should really reconsider this decision and try to find a way to make everyone feel welcome at the match.

really? banning Israeli fans because of politics? that's just bad policing

ugh this is so worrying, bar 1k Israeli fans from a match and what about the English team's fans who have been acting provocatively at other matches? how are they going to be policed? this whole thing feels like a huge overreaction, if there was a risk of trouble, couldn't it have been addressed differently, like having more stewards or something? instead we're seeing politicians grandstanding and the police looking like total amateurs

anyway i'm not surprised tbh, the UK has always had a complicated history with Israel and this is just another example of how sensitive people can be what's next, banning fans from other countries because of their nationality? it's a slippery slope and we need to be careful not to let politics get in the way of common sense

Ugh this is so messed up... I mean what's next? Banning fans from all of Europe or something?! The fact that they're prioritizing Israeli fans over everyone else just shows how weak the police are at handling these situations. It's like they're more concerned with looking good than actually keeping people safe. And now they're going to create a whole new wave of division and propaganda? No thanks This decision is all about politics, not about protecting anyone's safety. Birmingham should be ashamed of itself for falling for this trap . We need to stand up against this kind of divisiveness and fight for inclusivity and equality, not give in to it

Ugh, come on! This is just ridiculous! Barreing fans from one country because of politics? What's next? Banning people from other countries because they're from a different team?! It's so unfair and hypocritical! The police are always saying we need to be inclusive and tolerant, but now they're choosing to pick on the Israeli fans instead. This is just a slippery slope waiting to happen. If they can't handle it, maybe they shouldn't have made such a big deal about it in the first place

I mean, I get that safety is important, but this whole thing reeks of politics and divisiveness. It's not like the other fans are going to cause any trouble. This decision just feels like a knee-jerk reaction without thinking things through And what's with the different treatment for different teams? Paris Saint-Germain got slammed hard when their fans celebrated, but now it's okay to single out one team because of its national identity? Not cool

omg i cant believe birmingham did this theyre basically saying israelis are bad news like what even is that its not cool how they just banned those fans without thinking about the bigger picture the police should be focusing on preventing actual harm rather than getting all up in arms about a soccer match and can u believe this decision will lead to more division? my aunt was at that paris game last year and shes been saying how scared she was ever since i feel bad for her

think they're trying to manipulate us into thinking one thing but it's actually a big mess... all these safety concerns are just an excuse for them to crack down on ppl who don't wanna follow the rules . it's like, can't we just have a peaceful game without all this drama? and what's with the double standard? one rule for one country and not for others? doesn't make sense to me... they need to go back to the drawing board and think about how to keep everyone safe without picking on certain groups . btw, have you noticed all these 'safety' measures popping up at sports events lately? feels like a way to control ppl's behavior

OMG what a bummer for those Israeli fans! I'm literally shaking my head over here can't believe the Brit authorities are going down this route . Like, who's next? Are we gonna ban fans from another country just because of their nationality? it makes no sense at all

I mean, I get that safety is a concern, but come on . If they're really worried about the Israeli fans, why not take measures to keep them safe instead of banning them outright? and btw, what about the PSG celebrations last year? where were they? mass arrests and death? yikes!

This decision is SO shady . It's like they're trying to send a message and create some drama . But, like, what's the real message here? are we gonna start policing people based on their nationality? that's just not right

Birmingham is already dealing with some serious issues antisemitic hate crimes and now this? it's time for them to come together and reject this decision . We need better policing, more inclusivity, and less drama .

OMG, can u believe this?! They're literally trying to kick Israeli fans out of their own stadium! Like, what even is the point of that? Are they gonna start banning fans from other countries too?! It's so unfair and discriminatory, especially when PSG got slammed for it. The police should be focusing on keeping everyone safe, not playing politics . This decision is just a disaster waiting to happen. If I were in school, I'd make sure my class discusses this and comes up with a plan to stop it!

I'm literally dying over here . Who comes up with these decisions? One minute they're saying 'let's have a chill match' and the next they're restricting fans from one country . What's the logic behind this, mate? Can't they just treat everyone equally? It feels like they're setting a bad precedent for other countries to follow - what if PSG or Barcelona want to kick out fans from another team?

And can we talk about how ridiculous it is that our authorities are being so selective with who gets arrested . It's all about 'safety concerns' and whatnot, but what really is the concern? Is it just because they don't want any drama? Newsflash: football matches are always gonna have some drama! At least let's get some consistency in policing, you know?

I'm also getting a bit worried about this slippery slope thing... where do we draw the line next? Are we gonna start banning fans from other countries because of their nationality or what? That's just not right, mate. We should be focusing on creating a more inclusive and welcoming atmosphere at football stadiums, rather than playing politics .

ugh this is so lame i mean what happened at paris saints germain celebrations was crazy but let's be real they werent exactly peaceful lol anyway i think birmingham should reconsider this ban its just not fair to the israeli fans who are probably just as hyped for the match as anyone else why cant we just focus on keeping everyone safe instead of making a big deal out of nationality or whatever? its like we took two steps forward and one step back with this decision i just wish they wouldve thought about how this could affect future matches and, like, the fans who wanna celebrate without getting arrested

I'm literally shaking my head at this news , can't believe they're going after innocent fans just because of their team allegiance! What's next? Banning fans from every country that has a dispute with Israel? It's all about safety, but let's be real, the police are always gonna make mistakes. This decision feels like a major own goal for Birmingham, especially when they're already dealing with a rise in antisemitic hate crimes. Can't we just focus on keeping everyone safe and enjoying the game without all the drama?

I'm all for safety at stadiums but come on, a blanket ban on Israeli fans? That just doesn't sit right with me... What's next, banning fans from another country just 'cause of their nationality? It's not exactly the most inclusive approach. I mean, I get that there's been some incidents in the past but you can't let one bad thing dictate a whole group of people... The police need to figure out a better way to manage crowds without resorting to these kinda restrictions... Birmingham's already dealing with its own issues, I don't think this is the kind of 'solution' they need right now...

I'm really troubled by this news. It feels like we're living in a world where people are being divided based on nationality and ethnicity. The idea that fans from one country can be banned while others aren't is just not right . Have we lost sight of what's truly important? Is it about football or is it about our values as humans?

I'm worried about the potential for this decision to create a slippery slope. If politicians start drawing lines in the sand based on nationality, that's when things can get really out of hand . We need to focus on promoting inclusivity and equality, not perpetuating division.

Birmingham has already been dealing with a rise in reported antisemitic hate crimes - this decision feels like just another nail in the coffin . Can't we find a way to come together as a city and reject this divisive decision? It's time for us to take a step back and think about what really matters .

oh man, this is so not cool... Birmingham is like totally undermining its own reputation as a welcoming place. I mean, what's next? Are they gonna start banning fans of other teams from coming to their matches too? It just doesn't make sense, and it feels super unfair to the Israeli supporters who are just trying to cheer on their team.

I'm so done with this kind of politics-in-sports nonsense. Can't we just focus on having a good time and enjoying some football without all the drama? And what's really worrying is that this might be the start of something bigger, like everyone being targeted based on where they're from. That's not okay at all.

Birmingham needs to get its priorities straight and reverse this decision ASAP. It's already got a problem with hate crimes, but this just makes it worse. Come on, city, let's show some love and inclusivity instead of fear and division