Copyright bbc

Resources will not determine whether Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans can attend a match in Birmingham next month, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said. The city's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), made up of police, council and safety experts, decided last week that on safety grounds away fans would be barred from the Uefa Europa League fixture against Aston Villa, on 6 November. "It is not for the government to assess the risk surrounding this football match," Nandy said, but said ministers were working together to fund the necessary policing operation. Her Conservative shadow, Nigel Huddlestone, said the ban was "embarrassing and a disgrace".