Fans banned from attending match at Aston Villa
Police granted section 60 stop-and-search powers
The Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Issouf Sissokho urged his teammates to make their supporters smile against Aston Villa, after away fans were banned from the politically charged Europa League match on Thursday.
The Israeli club’s fans were prohibited from attending on public safety grounds but, despite the ban, West Midlands police have been granted section 60 stop-and-search powers and plan to deploy more than 700 officers around Villa Park to cope with protests and potential unrest.
The league‑phase match has become a major talking point since Maccabi supporters were banned from attending by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group, whose decision was based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences” that occurred around their Europa League match against Ajax in Amsterdam last year.
