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Pro-Palestinian protesters gather outside the stadium before the UEFA Europa League football match day 4, between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel-Aviv at Villa Park in Birmingham on November 06, 2025. [Ioannis Alexopoulos – Anadolu Agency]
Dozens of athletes have called on the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel for its human rights violations against Palestinians, Anadolu reports.
In a letter to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin on Tuesday, the Athletes for Peace, which represents over 70 sports figures, supported calls for the organization to sever ties with the Israel Football Association.
The letter penned by the Game Over Israel organization is supported by Athletes 4 Peace, The Gaza Tribunal, and The Hind Rajab Foundation.
“No shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid, and other crimes against humanity,” the letter said.
The call was supported by prominent athletes, including French World Cup champion Paul Pogba, Dutch forward Anwar El Ghazi, Moroccan player Hakim Ziyech, and Spanish winger Adama Traore.
“Israel’s continued impunity for such crimes will only be ended by the weight of collective conscientious action, including measures to block their entry to sporting or cultural events and activities,” the letter added.
The letter addressed Ceferin directly, referencing his own words that “football belongs to everyone,” and warned that allowing people who harm their own and others’ humanity into the sport risks depriving football of its core values.
The petition is part of an ongoing campaign to have UEFA ban Israel from participating in tournaments over attacks in Gaza.
The Israeli army has killed more than 69,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 170,000 others, and left the Gaza Strip uninhabitable since October 2023, according to the Health Ministry.
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Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAKeir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are facing a ban from attending a Europa League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park next month.(SmartFrame/Pro Sports Images)
West Midlands Police under huge pressure to reverse ban on Maccabi supporters attending Aston Villa match next month
A football match involving the team at the centre of the Villa Park fan ban row was called off following violent clashes between supporters.
The Tel Aviv derby between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was axed yesterday, Sunday, October 20.
Police advised the Israeli Premier League match should not take place as scheduled after trouble reportedly flared prior to kick-off, in and around the Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared by both clubs.
Israeli police reportedly said it had made nine arrests and brought 16 others in for questioning after the game was cancelled “following disturbances” and its officers had been injured in “serious violence”.
A statement posted on X said: “Disorderly conduct, riots, injured police officers and damage to infrastructure – this is not a soccer game, this is a breach of order and serious violence.
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Maccabi supporters wave yellow flags next to Israeli flags during the UEFA Europa League, League phase – Matchday 4, football match between Ajax Amsterdam and Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Johan-Cruijff stadium, in Amsterdam on November 7, 2024. [Robin van Lonkhuijsen / ANP / AFP) / Netherlands OUT/ Getty Images]
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be permitted to attend next month’s UEFA Europa League match at Aston Villa after West Midlands Police classified the fixture as high risk due to security concerns and previous incidents of violence involving the Israeli club’s supporters.
Aston Villa confirmed that Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which issues match-day safety certificates, had instructed the club that “no away fans will be permitted” when the sides meet at Villa Park on 6 November. “The safety of supporters attending the match and of local residents is at the forefront of any decision,” Villa said.
Police said the measure would “help mitigate risks to public safety”, citing “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate-crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.”
The ban follows serious unrest during that fixture, when Dutch police reported that Maccabi fans tore down and burned a Palestinian flag, vandalised vehicles, and shouted anti-Palestinian slogans before the match. Dozens were injured in the ensuing confrontations, and 62 people were arrested.
While such bans are not unusual in European football, the decision has provoked fierce political debate in Britain. Prime Minister Keir Starmer called it “the wrong decision”, saying: “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.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the ruling a “national disgrace” and urged Starmer to intervene, while Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar denounced it as “shameful” and demanded the UK reverse what he called a “coward decision.”
Bans on away supporters have become an increasingly common tool to manage high-risk fixtures in Europe. Last season, French authorities prohibited Ajax Amsterdam fans from travelling to Marseille, while Italy’s interior ministry blocked ticket sales to Eintracht Frankfurt supporters before their Champions League clash with Napoli—both on grounds of public safety.
UEFA said in a statement that local authorities are responsible for such decisions, which are based on “thorough risk assessments that vary from match to match.”
The restriction on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, however, has been framed by Israeli officials and senior British politicians as evidence of anti-Semitism, despite the police justification focusing on documented violence and disorder. The move comes amid heightened tensions over Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza, which has fuelled protests and counter-demonstrations across Europe.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign said that instead of lifting the ban, the match itself should be cancelled, arguing that “Israeli football teams shouldn’t play in international tournaments whilst Israel commits genocide and apartheid.”
For now, West Midlands Police insist their stance remains purely precautionary. “We remain steadfast in our support of all affected communities,” the force said, “and reaffirm our zero-tolerance stance on hate crime in all its forms.”
Senior government officials are set to meet today in an attempt to reverse the ban.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpAOrcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
