'A Shameful Day': LBC Presenter Hits Out After Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans Banned From Aston Villa Game

Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters at a Europa Conference League match against Olympiacos at the TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, in March last year.A presenter on LBC presenter has hit out after Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv said it would not sell tickets to its fans for their game next month against Aston Villa because their safety cannot be guaranteed.Ben Kentish said it was “a shameful day for Birmingham” and “a disgrace for our country”.He said West Midlands Police had “caved to a mob” by announcing last week that the Maccabi fans would not be allowed to attend the match on November 6 amid fears of crowd trouble.Downing Street said that was the “wrong decision” and they wanted it overturned.After days of stalemate, Maccabi Tel Aviv announced on Monday night that they would not accept any ticket allocation for the game, effectively banning their own supporters from attending.The club said: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount and, from hard lessons learned, we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans, and our decision should be understood in that context.“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”The club added: “It is clear that various entrenched groups seek to malign the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan base, most of whom have no truck with racism or hooliganism of any kind, and are exploiting isolated incidents for their own social and political ends.“As a result of the hate-filled falsehoods, a toxic atmosphere has been created, which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt.”Speaking on his LBC show, Kentish said: “What a shameful day for the city of Birmingham. What a shameful moment for West Midlands Police. And what a disgrace, frankly, for our country.“Football fans, Israeli football fans, not able to come to this country and watch their team for the sole reason that they happen to be Israeli.“Whatever they think of the situation in Gaza, whether or not they support the Israeli government, not welcome in this country. Told they won’t be safe, told they can’s come. Now told by their club that they won’t be able to, even if the UK government does a 180 and says that they will be safe here after all. What a shameful moment that is.“I don’t need to remind you that clubs with all sorts of track records of all sorts of things, all sorts of violence, all sorts of horrible chants, have come to this country and watched their team play here countless times.“But not this one, not this time, because West Midlands Police has caved to a mob and told them they shouldn’t be here.”‘What a disgrace for our country.’@BenKentish reacts to news that Maccabi Tel Aviv have decided to not sell tickets for the Aston Villa game to fans. pic.twitter.com/7CYemlRCGE— LBC (@LBC) October 20, 2025A government spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened Maccabi Tel Aviv have turned down their away fan allocation but we respect their right to do so.“It is completely unacceptable that this game has been weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us.“We will never tolerate anti-semitism or extremism on our streets.”Related...Keir Starmer In Bid To Let Maccabi Tel Aviv Fans Attend Aston Villa Match Despite Ban

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