LONDON: British police concluded that traveling Maccabi Tel Aviv fans represented the biggest potential threat of violence at their team’s match against Aston Villa next month. The police assessment was a factor in the decision to ban supporters of the Israeli team from attending the Europa League game in Birmingham on Nov. 6. The decision last week — which Aston Villa said followed “an instruction” from Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group based on the advice of West Midlands Police — sparked controversy, including accusations of antisemitism and criticism from Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Maccabi say rivals to blame for crowd trouble while UK government still wants ban lifted for Aston Villa game

Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will not accept any ticket allocation from Aston Villa should the decision to ban their supporters from next month's Europa League match be…