Cowardice in High Places: Political Fear, Not Fan Danger, Keeps Maccabi Tel Aviv Away

Next month’s football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Villa Park should be remembered as a night of European football, two proud clubs meeting under the lights in Birmingham. Yet the discussion around the match has taken on a far heavier tone.

Villa Park has always been one of the friendliest football venues in England. Anyone who’s been there knows it. Back in the early 90s, I brought a Celtic supporter into the Holt End with me to watch us play Liverpool, the match remembered for Ronny Rosenthal’s infamous open-goal miss. My friend was wearing the green-and-white hoops of Celtic F.C. and no one batted an eyelid. The Villa faithful absolutely loved the wee Scots lad I’d brought along, ruffling his hair and actually cuddling him. These moments summed up our supporters perfectly: welcoming, good-humoured, and grounded in the right kind of football spirit.

That’s why the current situation, with uncertainty over whether Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters will be allowed to attend the game, feels so wrong.

If there are legitimate concerns for the safety of any fan base, then of course, the authorities have a duty to act. Nobody disputes that. Every supporter, from any corner of the world, should be able to watch their team without fear. But let’s be clear, if those responsible for safety know where any genuine risk lies, they also know it doesn’t come from the Aston Villa supporters who fill Villa Park week in and week out.

I’ve read various statements from people in positions of authority, and frankly, many of them have been vague to the point of cowardice. They talk about potential risks and security concerns without the honesty to say where they believe those risks originate. It’s as though they fear saying it aloud, so instead they allow a fog of suspicion to drift over the Villa fans.

Now there are rumours that the decision to exclude the away fans could yet be revisited, due to a very loud vocal backlash online. But let’s be clear, Aston Villa Football Club didn’t make this call. I believe this was a decision taken well above football level. Political, not sporting. And that’s what makes it so frustrating.

Because if the authorities had come out and said, “We can’t guarantee the safety of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans,” then fine, that’s their judgement call. But don’t let anyone, anywhere, believe that danger would come from those of us that attend Villa Park week in and week out.

In this unique situation, our collective Villa hearts would have done what any true Villa supporter would do, looked after the visitors, even those cheering for the opposition. This is what I believe, and that’s how it will remain.

So yes, this decision may have been made in the name of security, but it has come at the cost of honesty and fairness. And it’s left Aston Villa fans unfairly caught in the middle, decent people, once again, being quietly thrown under the bus. UTV

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