Aston Villa has banned all Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending their Europa League match at home, with Aston Villa Park set to be a fortress for the host side.
The decision comes after a number of incidents involving English and Israeli supporters before the 2021 UEFA Europa League play-off final when Villa beat Maccabi in Azerbaijan. The team had previously stated they would ban all fans from either side from attending matches at their home ground, a policy that has been in place for many years.
The decision seems to have been influenced by concerns over potential clashes between supporters of the two teams. With tensions running high after the 2021 play-off final, which saw Villa emerge victorious despite Maccabi taking an early lead, it is likely that this will be a highly charged and intense match.
Fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv are set to have to watch from home as they face off against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The decision has been met with disappointment from many fans of the Israeli side who were looking forward to watching their team in action, but it appears that Villa's management is taking a firm stance on ensuring the safety and security of their supporters.
The decision comes after a number of incidents involving English and Israeli supporters before the 2021 UEFA Europa League play-off final when Villa beat Maccabi in Azerbaijan. The team had previously stated they would ban all fans from either side from attending matches at their home ground, a policy that has been in place for many years.
The decision seems to have been influenced by concerns over potential clashes between supporters of the two teams. With tensions running high after the 2021 play-off final, which saw Villa emerge victorious despite Maccabi taking an early lead, it is likely that this will be a highly charged and intense match.
Fans from Maccabi Tel Aviv are set to have to watch from home as they face off against Aston Villa at Villa Park. The decision has been met with disappointment from many fans of the Israeli side who were looking forward to watching their team in action, but it appears that Villa's management is taking a firm stance on ensuring the safety and security of their supporters.
this is crazy! I mean, can you imagine being a Maccabi fan trying to watch your team play live with no access to Aston Villa Park? It's a bummer for the Israeli fans who were hyped for the match. But at the same time, I get why Aston Villa is taking this step - safety and security should always be the top priority! Interesting how UEFA didn't intervene earlier when tensions were running high 
It feels like they're taking away the opportunity for people to come together and watch live football in person... which is pretty much what it's all about 
. I'm not saying the incidents before were cool or whatever, but banning fans seems like an overreaction 
. Can't we just find a way to coexist peacefully? 
i feel bad for the maccabi fans who wanted to come out and support their team at villa park, it's like they're being banned from even attending the match 
hopefully the match goes smoothly with no major incidents 
... I mean, I know teams have to be careful about fan safety and all, but still, it sucks that they won't get to watch the match live. I've never been to a football game in my life, though - how hard is it to just keep things calm between rival fans? Do you think there's gonna be like, a huge police presence at the match or something? 
they're not being heavy-handed at all, they're actually being super responsible! I mean, can you blame them for wanting to keep their fans safe? Those Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were getting pretty rowdy back in 2021, and I wouldn't put it past them to cause some trouble again. Villa's decision is about as fair as it gets - they're not trying to discriminate against anyone, just protect their own fans from potential chaos. It's not like Maccabi didn't have a chance to behave themselves if they wanted to come to Villa Park... but I guess that's not how the world works sometimes 
Can't believe Aston Villa would take this drastic step over a bunch of idiots who can't even get along with each other... I mean I get it, the 2021 play-off final was intense and stuff, but banning an entire group of fans from attending a match? It's just so unfair to all the Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters who are actually there to support their team in good faith! 
But it's just so frustrating because this whole thing feels like it's being blown way out of proportion... It's just a football match! 
And now the atmosphere is gonna be totally different without all those Maccabi fans there... I'm really gonna miss the energy and vibe of that stadium when they're at home 
i totally get why villa is being all cautious though, those incidents between england & israel supporters before were super intense. i mean, who wants to risk fans getting hurt or caught up in a brawl? 
hopefully they can find ways to enjoy the match online or through live streams. safety first, i guess 
. after those intense incidents in 2021, it's no surprise they're taking extra precautions to ensure safety & security for all supporters. it's not ideal for the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans who were looking forward to watching their team play, but I guess you can't put a price on preventing any kind of trouble or violence 
. let's hope the match itself is still an exciting one despite the absence of some fans 
the tension between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before 2021 Europa League play-off final was insane 
especially considering what happened last year in azerbaijan was pretty intense i mean, who wants to risk their fans getting hurt by some overzealous supporters 
? anyway, it's just gonna make the match even more exciting for villa fans (aka the home crowd) - they get to cheer on their team without any distractions or safety concerns 
. I mean, can't they just have some kind of segregation or something? A wall between the two sets of fans instead of cutting them off completely? It feels like Aston Villa is trying to dictate how things should go down and that's not cool 
btw, this match is shud be EPIC!!!
. The safety of supporters is key, no doubt about it 
️ I'm low-key kinda glad they're banning those Maccabi fans lol, can imagine how heated things could get with both sets of supporters goin at each other. But at the same time, it's a shame for the Maccabi fans who were hyped to see their team play live. Villa's got every right to keep their home ground safe and secure tho, don't wanna have any incidents ruin the match for everyone involved 
Aston Villa bans all Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from their home match?? That's harsh fam! I get where they're comin from, but it's gonna make for an epic atmosphere at Villa Park 
and now the home crowd's got the upper hand. Guess Maccabi fans are gonna have to settle for a sofa binge-watching their team get destroyed on telly 
!