Mps Want Answers On Villa-maccabi Game Intelligence

MPs person demanded that constabulary springiness a fuller relationship of allegedly exaggerated intelligence that led to a determination to prohibition to Israeli fans from their club's lucifer against Aston Villa.

A study successful nan Sunday Times (ST) claimed West Midlands Police (WMP) had overstated nan threat posed by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ahead of nan lucifer connected 6 November, citing unit astir a lucifer successful nan Netherlands past year.

In response, Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said that unless WMP had a bully explanation, Chief Constable Craig Guildford should resign. Home Office curate Sarah Jones said she had written to him asking for clarity.

WMP has defended its evaluation, saying its scheme was "proportionate".

The ST study connected Sunday said an intelligence study relied connected by nan unit had claimed immoderate Maccabi-Tel Aviv fans were "highly organised, skilled fighters pinch a superior desire and will to conflict pinch constabulary and opposing groups".

It had besides suggested that 500 to 600 of them had targeted Muslim communities successful Amsterdam, and fans had been thrown successful a river, claims which nan newspaper said had been denied by Dutch police.

Putting an urgent mobility successful nan Commons, Conservative MP Nick Timothy demanded nan publication of each intelligence worldly relating to nan ban, and grounds considered by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG).

The panel, bringing together assembly and constabulary experts, was responsible for imposing restrictions connected distant fans for nan crippled connected 6 November.

Calling for nan authorities "to clasp nan West Midlands Police to account", Philp added: "The Maccabi fans were not skilled and organised fighters - it was conscionable made up."

The curate told MPs that she had written to WMP to "get to nan bottom" of nan claims, and that nan Home Office had asked His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services to transportation retired a wider investigation into really information assessments were carried out.

She said nan unit was carrying retired a debrief of events starring up to nan match, and would beryllium publishing "a timeline of events, nan decisions taken and nan rationale for nan recommendations that were provided to nan SAG".

Responding to nan ST's claims, a spokesperson for nan unit said: "West Midlands Police's information was based chiefly connected accusation and intelligence and had nationalist information astatine its heart.

"We assessed nan fixture betwixt Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv successful Amsterdam arsenic having progressive important nationalist disorder.

"We met pinch Dutch constabulary connected October 1, wherever accusation relating to that 2024 fixture was shared pinch us."

Police concluded a sub-section of Maccabi fans posed "a reliable threat to nationalist safety".

They concluded: "We are satisfied that nan policing strategy and operational scheme was effective, proportionate, and maintained nan city's estimation arsenic a safe and welcoming spot for everyone."