Pressure is mounting on police authorities in the English city of Birmingham to reverse a ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans attending a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month over security concerns.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that the police recommendation to bar the visiting team’s fans from the November 6 game was “the wrong decision” and that “the role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.”

Starmer’s spokesperson Geraint Ellis said on Friday that “the prime minister has been angered by the decision” and the government was working urgently to overturn it.

The decision also drew condemnation from other politicians, sport organisations and Jewish groups.

Simon Foster, the elected official in

See Full Page