Aston Villa take on Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League today in a fixture that has been draped in controversy.

Maccabi are the only Israeli side to have qualified for the main draw of a European competition this term, and concerns were raised when they were drawn to travel to Birmingham to take on Villa.

There have been calls for Israeli teams to be banned from European competition due to the Israel-Gaza conflict, but upon a ceasefire being agreed in October, Maccabi were given the all-clear to remain in the Europa League. However, the controversy has stemmed from the decision to ban travelling Maccabi supporters from attending the game.

Why are there no away fans?

The local Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for determining the need for police presence as well

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