Why Did The UK Government Support Football Fans Known To Be Violent And Racist?

Did The UK Labour Government Support Football Fans Known To Be Violent And Racist Just To Appease Israel?
The full weight of the UK government lined up behind supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli football team due to play against Aston Villa in Birmingham next month.
Maccabi’s fanbase is notoriously violent and racist.
In Amsterdam last year, supporters attacked Muslims on the street, tore down Palestine flags, and chanted “death to Arabs”.
The fans have also been filmed singing: “Why is school out in Gaza? There are no children left there!”
It is unsurprising therefore that West Midlands Police, following consultation with its Safety Advisory Group, classified the match as “high risk” and prohibited Maccabi fans from attending.

But the Labour government moved swiftly to overturn the ban, with UK prime minister Keir Starmer calling it “the wrong decision”.
“We will not tolerate antisemitism on our streets”, he wrote. “The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation”.
Starmer’s statement was clearly intended to suggest that it was the Maccabi fans that were at risk from violence rather than the local community in Birmingham.

And culture secretary Lisa Nandy went even further.
She told the Commons that the government was “united in saying that we will find the resources” to facilitate the Maccabi fans pending a fresh risk assessment from the police.
Remarkably, this statement was issued the day after Maccabi’s derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv had been cancelled due to an outbreak of fan violence.
“What is astonishing in this case is that it is unprecedented in modern times for all away fans to be banned because of the behaviour of a small minority”, Nandy added.

What’s actually astonishing is that the Labour government batted so strongly for Israeli football fans with a clear record of hooliganism, racism, and violence, with Nandy even lying to parliament in the process.
In fact, it is far from unprecedented for away fans to be banned from football matches in Britain.
This was the case for a Legia Warsaw fixture against Aston Villa in 2023 as well as a Rangers versus Napoli game the year prior.

And now, less than a week after Labour sought to whip up another moral panic about antisemitism, it has emerged that the police’s intelligence assessment concluded it was the Maccabi fans who “were considered likely to be the perpetrators of trouble”.
The government was clearly aware of this assessment but opted to mislead parliament and the public, apparently in order to appease Israel and its influential supporters in Britain.
And for what?
Maccabi have now announced that they won’t be selling any away tickets for the game, putting the issue to bed, at least for now.
This marks another own goal for Starmer’s increasingly unpopular government – and perhaps the most ridiculous one yet.
( John McEvoy, Declassified UK, 23.10.2025 )

UEFA has been criticised after a banner which read “Stop killing children – Stop killing civilians” was displayed before the Super Cup final between Tottenham and Paris St-Germain.
The sign was shown on the pitch in front of the players as they lined up before kick-off at the Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy.
There has been criticism of the banner, referencing the Israel war on Gaza, including from the Campaign Against Antisemitism and Amnesty.
After the banner was displayed before kick-off, two refugee children from Gaza were involved in the medal ceremony.
European football’s governing body said they were a 12-year-old Palestinian girl called Tala and nine-year-old boy Mohamed, who have both relocated to Milan for medical treatment.
Nine children who are refugees in Italy, from areas of conflict including Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and Ukraine, took part in the pre-match display.
The UEFA Foundation for Children announced it had expanded its humanitarian efforts to help children in Gaza, partnering with three charities providing humanitarian aid.
( BBC Sport, 14.08.2025 )  ..  bbc.co.uk

Suspected online hate crimes referred to police have quadrupled already this season in English football.
The football policing unit has urged the government to form a new unit to address racism in the sport.
( Rob Harris, Sky News, 08.10.2025 )  ..  news.sky.co

Why Are Athletes Banned Because Of Actions By Their Governments?
Russian and Belarusian para-athletes will not be at the 2026 Winter Paralympics, despite the International Paralympic Committee lifting its ban on them.
Although the IPC oversees the Games, there are four separate governing bodies in charge of the six sports taking place in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.
Three of the governing bodies have decided to keep their bans on athletes from the two countries, and although Russia and Belarus are now allowed to compete in ice hockey, the decision came too late for them to take part in qualifying.
Both countries were suspended from Paralympic competition after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with Belarus a close ally of Russia.
( BBC Sport, 23.10.2025 )  ..  bbc.co.uk

Jurgen Klopp Says It Is Theoretically Possible He Could Return To Manage Liverpool.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has admitted it is “theoretically possible” he could return to manage the club in the future, although he insists he has no immediate desire to return.
Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, the 58-year-old said his promise never to manage another English club means a future comeback to Anfield remains the only option.
“I said I will never coach a different team in England, so that means, if I did return, then it’s Liverpool. So, yeah, theoretically it is possible,” Klopp said.
Klopp ended his nine-year stay at Anfield in May 2024, having overseen 491 games and delivering every major trophy available, including the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, and Club World Cup.
( GhanaWeb, 20.10.2025 )  ..  ghanaweb.com

A Highly Controversial Overtaking Manoeuvre In The Monaco Grand Prix.
The 2025 Monaco Grand Prix, a crown jewel in the Formula 1 calendar, witnessed an astonishing and highly controversial overtaking manoeuvre by Max Verstappen.
With just a few laps remaining in the race, Verstappen attempted a risky move on rival Lewis Hamilton, pushing Hamilton off track and narrowly avoiding a collision.
The move was initially deemed legal by race officials, but many fans and analysts felt it was overly aggressive and violated the spirit of racing.
The debate over whether Verstappen’s actions were within the rules or dangerously reckless took over the media.
Some hailed Verstappen as a genius for executing such a bold and brilliant move under pressure, while others criticised him for endangering both his own and Hamilton’s safety.
Ultimately, Verstappen won the race, but the controversy surrounding his overtaking manoeuvre continued to dominate discussions.
( Saud Anjum, ShopMart24UK, 01.09.2025 )  ..  shopmart24.uk

Aston Villa Women’s Rachel Daly won the Supporters’ Player of the Season award for the third consecutive year at the end of 2024/25 Season Awards.
The striker enjoyed another fine campaign in claret and blue, with the Villa fans selecting her as their top performer once again.
Rachel Daly finished as the team’s top scorer in 2024/25 after netting 13 times in all competitions, helping Villa to finish sixth in the Women’s Super League.
The Lioness legend joined the club in the summer of 2022 and has scored 59 times in 83 games.
Rachel Daly received her MBE at a ceremony at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, September 30, 2025. The honour was formally presented by the Prince of Wales for her services to association football.
The award was first announced in June 2025 as part of the King’s Birthday Honours List.

Women’s marathon world record-holder Ruth Chepngetich has been banned for three years after the Kenyan admitted to anti-doping rule violations.
Chepngetich was provisionally suspended in July 2025 following a positive test on 14 March 2025.
Chepngetich’s achievements which pre-date that test, including her world record time of two hours, nine minutes and 56 seconds in Chicago in October 2024, will still stand.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) had sought a four-year ban but the 31-year-old’s punishment was reduced to three years because she admitted to the violations.
( Harry Poole, 23.10.2025 )  ..  bbc.co.uk