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Select Committee · Home Affairs Committee

Football Policing

Status: Open Opened: 26 Nov 2025 5 recommendations 10 conclusions 1 report

The Committee will be hearing from West Midlands Police and the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner about the decision-making process that led to Maccabi Tel Aviv fans being prevented from attending the fixture against Aston Villa in November 2025. The session will explore the intelligence that informed the decision, the options considered by West …

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Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
5th Report - Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban HC 1553 22 Feb 2026 15 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items
2 Conclusion 5th Report - Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban Acknowledged

West Midlands Police failed to engage directly with the Birmingham Jewish community early enough in...

West Midlands Police failed to engage directly with the Birmingham Jewish community early enough in relation to this fixture. As a result, West Midlands Police limited their access to information that might challenge their narrative about Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and also underestimated the impact of the decision to ban …

Government response. The government acknowledges the committee's concern regarding the perception of undue influence from elected politicians and agrees that Safety Advisory Group membership should be grounded in operational, regulatory, and technical expertise; this aligns with work already underway by the UK …
Home Office
11 Conclusion 5th Report - Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban Acknowledged

While the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was not involved in the Safety Advisory Group...

While the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) was not involved in the Safety Advisory Group process, and it is right that the principle of operational independence is respected, the West Midlands PCC appeared to prioritise defending the Chief Constable above holding him to account, until this approach proved untenable with …

Government response. The government notes the Police and Crime Commissioner's responsibility and subsequent scrutiny of the Chief Constable's actions, including seeking assurances on lessons identified.
Home Office
13 Conclusion 5th Report - Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban Acknowledged

Given the international context and location of this fixture, it may have been proportionate to...

Given the international context and location of this fixture, it may have been proportionate to designate this fixture as one of national significance, had the recommendation of Baroness Casey been adopted. (Conclusion, Paragraph 48)

Government response. The government acknowledges the need to examine whether national-level support and coordination could be improved for events with risks extending beyond the local footprint, and is developing options to test with stakeholders, but will await the HMICFRS report before finalizing …
Home Office
15 Conclusion 5th Report - Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban Acknowledged

This incident has caused serious damage to trust in West Midlands Police, particularly among the...

This incident has caused serious damage to trust in West Midlands Police, particularly among the local Jewish community, as well as to public confidence in the effectiveness of the force. Assistant Chief Constable O’Hara told us that there was no conspiracy to ban away fans, and we have seen no …

Government response. The government welcomes the West Midlands Police's actions to reassure the public and rebuild confidence, including engaging with community representatives, reviewing internal processes, and strengthening transparency, and will continue to work with partners to ensure lessons are embedded.
Home Office

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
6 Jan 2026 Anthony Cox · Birmingham City Council, Chief Constable Mark Roberts · UK Football Policing Unit, Councillor John Cotton · Birmingham City Council, Craig Guildford · West Midlands Police, Mick Wilkinson · West Midlands Police, Mike O’Hara · West Midlands Police, Richard Brooks · Birmingham City Council View ↗
1 Dec 2025 Craig Guildford · West Midlands Police, Lord Mann, Independent Adviser on Antisemitism, Mike O’Hara · West Midlands Police, Richard Clarke · Home Office, Sarah Jones MP · Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Simon Foster · West Midlands Police View ↗

Correspondence

21 letters
DateDirectionTitle
3 Mar 2026 To cttee Letter from the Acting Chief Constable of West Midlands Police relating to the …
10 Feb 2026 To cttee Letter from Birmingham City Council relating to the Safety Advisory Group minut…
10 Feb 2026 To cttee Letter from the Deputy Chief Constable of West Midlands Police in response to t…
10 Feb 2026 To cttee Letter from the Home Secretary following her appearance on 4th Feb relating to …
29 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from the IOPC relating to the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football …
29 Jan 2026 From cttee Letter to the IOPC relating to the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fa…
21 Jan 2026 — Additional documents from Birmingham City Council relating to letter dated 12.0…
20 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from Chief Constable Craig Guildford of West Midlands Police, follow up …
20 Jan 2026 To cttee Response from Amsterdam Police to letter from Dame Karen Bradley of 12 December…
20 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from Birmingham City Council relating to the SAG meetings 12.01.2026
14 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from the Chief Constable Craig Guildford following the Maccabi Tel Aviv …
6 Jan 2026 — Birmingham City Council relating to the Safety Advisory Group minutes on Aston …
6 Jan 2026 — UKFPU Peer Review relating to Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel-Aviv 05.01.2026
6 Jan 2026 To cttee Letter from Lord Mann relating to Aston Villa - Maccabi Tel Aviv 05.01.2026
30 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chief Constable Craig Guildford following the Maccabi Tel Aviv …
30 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Director UK Football Policing Unit following the Maccabi Tel Av…
30 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from Birmingham City Council following the Maccabi Tel Aviv session on 1…
30 Dec 2025 To cttee Letter from the Director General for Public Safety and Safer Streets following …
10 Dec 2025 From cttee Letter to Birmingham City Council relating to Safety Advisory Group meetings re…
10 Dec 2025 From cttee Letter to Michael Johnson, Director of the UK Football Policing Unit relating t…