Government’s response to Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban was ‘clumsy’, say MPs

Government’s response to Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban was ‘clumsy’, say MPs Select committee says ‘late’ decision to overturn exclusion of fans ‘did little more than inflame tensions’ The government’s response to West Midlands police’s ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was “clumsy”, “late” and “did little more than inflame tensions”, a group of MPs has found. A report by the home affairs select committee, published on Sunday, analysed the original decision to ban away fans from a Europa League fixture with Aston Villa in November, as well as the advice that led to it. The report concluded West Midlands police relied on “inaccurate information” and “failed to do even basic due diligence” on its intelligence. The committee also criticised the Home Office, which it said “failed to recognise the significance of the decision and escalate properly”, despite being informed more than a week before the ban was announced that it was likely. “By intervening only after the decision to ban away fans was taken, the government increased tension around the fixture but was ineffectual in enabling Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend the fixture, which reflects unfavourably on the culture of the Home Office,” the report stated. The ban on the Israeli club’s fans, which was made by the council-led safety advisory group , caused widespread outrage at the time. Keir Starmer said it was “wrong” and suggested it amounted to antisemitism. The chair of the committee, Dame Karen Bradley, said the profile of this fixture “should have been obvious” to the government before the ban was announced. “Government intervention was clumsy and came too late, and we reject the government’s argument that it could only intervene once the decision was taken,” the Conservative MP said. “Their intervention when it came did little more than inflame tensions.” The committee also heavily criticised WMP for being “overly reliant on inaccurate and unverified information about the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans”. In particular, it said ...