Fans banned from match

[SunnySideDeepDown]

WTAF?!

https://news.sky.com/story/maccabi-tel-aviv-fans-will-not-be-allowed-to-attend-aston-villa-match-amid-safety-concerns-13451240

Maccabi Tel Aviv fans banned due to safety concerns AGAINST them?

Since when is it ok to victim blame and penalise people who have done nothing wrong? Surely the right course of action would be either to ban ALL fans of both sides or better police the event?

So are Jews not welcome at sports games now? Because some people are racist bullies?

I genuinely can’t believe this has been allowed. Where does it end? Can Jews no longer safely access society? What if the risk is high elsewhere, will they be banned then?

What do you think? AIBU to think this is discriminatory and a slippery slope?

Had Maccabi banned the hooligans from travelling abroad which we have done in the past
Then the genuine non violent supporters wouldn't be affected

As it stands they have not
So to protect the people of Birmingham this is the right decision

What part do you not understand? The statement from police is crystal clear. They were banned to protect the MTA fans themselves from the harm that they feared the locals would inflict. Listen to Lisa Nandy in parliament in response to questions from our delightful MPs for Gaza west.

I support stadium and travel bans for anyone exhibiting hooligan behaviour, irrespective of their club allegiance, nationality or religion. Clear enough for you?

Yes. That is pretty clear. I just have this niggling doubt that you’d even give it a second thought had it been a team from Italy, Belgium or Turkey. And I’m sure you’d agree that banning supporters because you can’t control your own population is craven.

Update - the Maccabi team have said they don’t want any away tickets, their fans won’t be coming anyway!

From what I've read including the statement from Villa suggests the ban is in place to also protect the locals and to prevent trouble outside the ground which could equally be from the visiting fans:

"West Midlands Police have advised the SAG that they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.
"The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision."

OK, so you're calling me a liar now. I see you.

In terms of banning supporters - it isn't about controlling one's own population. You just choose to see it that way, because in your mind Israelis are always the victim.
However, preventing riots is always a good idea. So if a city chooses not to allow a group of supporters to visit when that group are known to be violent, that is not craven. It's common sense.

“It is clear that various entrenched groups seek to malign the MTA fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.

As a result of the hate filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created, which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.”

I could have written this myself.

I’m not calling you a liar, I just have doubts about your motives. And I don’t support appointed representatives of a city making decisions based on a political viewpoint. We should draft in the army if they feel that these fans are genuinely under threat. The cost of this action isn’t always tallied with pounds and pence.

I’m aware of news articles and our own MPs and PM not looking at the history or actions of the Maccabi fans themselves
Ive also read many articles that speak of who started the initial violence.

Biased reporting and biased MPs who do not educate themselves and spurt out anti semitism are fuelling hate and
clearly choosing to ignore the truth or are astonishingly uninformed

One news article starts with how the Amsterdam rioting began by the Maccabi fans chants and Palestinian flag destruction and then finishes with an article stating Maccabi will not allow the sale of tickets to their fans to protect their fans…..
Nonsense

Violent people should not be allowed into countries to stir up and create trouble
To protect the police and the local people it is imperative that Football clubs ban those supporters who are violent and take down the name of their club.

This therefore is what Maccabi should be doing.

Of note in the news

“ Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are notorious for football hooliganism, with supporters involved in rioting in Amsterdam last year. More recently, the Tel Aviv derby between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday following violent clashes between supporters.
Paula Barker, the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree, pointed out to the Culture Secretary that bans on LP away fans over safety concerns were common.

She said: "A year before the Hillsborough disaster, safety concerns at Sheffield Wednesday stadium were raised by an official, but the ex-council safety officer was told by bosses in 1988 to ‘keep his nose out’ of such concerns.”
She later added: “Ninety-seven innocent men, women and children lost their lives. We have safety advisory groups for a reason, and it’s a slippery slope when safety concerns are ignored, and I believe unprecedented for a Government to try to overturn such advice.”

Exactly !
Its not a difficult concept to grasp.

OK, so you are now actually saying that fan bans should be completely abolished everywhere and for everyone, yes? And that the army (which is not trained to manage public order) should be brought in rather than the police? (Oh and that is going so very well in the US...)

My motives are simple. I oppose hooliganism in sport and I want to see it end. I don't care who is perpetrating it.

As for 'appointed representatives' - these are people who have their jobs because of their skills and experience in managing public order and civic systems. You don't like experts?

You seem to be covertly calling me antisemitic. Is that what you are doing?

This is what the pro Israel lobby call everyone. It’s to shut down conversation. It’s been weakened down though and doesn’t seem to have the effect they want.

Let’s not forget the total ban on England football TEAMs and supporters playing in Europe for 5 years in the 80s
because of the violence and hooliganism of some of the English fan base

No ond called that anti christian
No one made excuses
No one has banned Maccabi from playing here

Well that was due by and large, to Heysel. That’s a bit different to ripping down a flag.

Oh, the minimising!

You know full well it isn't just about 'ripping down a flag'. It's about a longstanding and ongoing record of violent hooliganism. Again - why should Maccabi hooligans be treated more favourably than others?

Well it looks like the Prime Minister and Culture secretary also feel that this decision was wrong.

Their actions have clearly been viewed too dangerous to allow them in
I’ll take the word an advice of professionals
Better to protect the British public

Of course they do ???
🤣🤣. Laughing at them, not you

And? So? They aren't experts on football hooliganism, they're politicians. If you believe some people on MN, KS is wrong about absolutely everything, 100% of the time. So why not this?

It doesn't matter in any case - the hooligans aren't coming. Which is great. Clubs should do more of this sort of thing so that the game is a safe place for families and genuine football fans of all backgrounds.

"Breaking news - Politician jumps on a bandwagon"

Who really gives a fuck - who wants to go to Birmingham anyway. Certainly not me. And it appears no one else from around the world.
A hot bed of racism and intolerance.

This is our country and I hope this issue turns the spotlight to Birmingham and their anti semitism and maybe we need to tighten and introduce new laws. We can’t have a lawless county operating outside of the country’s values.

I guess it will all be solved pretty quickly at the next election anyway if we look at the polls….

Well, the wrong one.

For someone who doesn’t give a fuck, you’ve spent an awful lot of time here doing exactly that.

Far we have been discussing goes well beyond football and bloody
and Birmingham.