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Downing Street has signalled it still sees hope for Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend next month’s Europa League clash with Aston Villa despite the Israeli side saying it would not accept tickets for its fans. The Israeli club’s announcement on Monday night came amid efforts by ministers to overturn a ban on fans from the away team attending the match at Villa Park. The Home Office is still talking to police about putting extra resources in place for the match, No 10 said. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it was a decision for Maccabi Tel Aviv to turn down their ticket allocation and that we “respect their right” to do so. “But as I say, we have been working around the clock to defend the basic principle that all football fans should be able to enjoy games without fear of intimidation or violence.” He later added: “We had asked police to review their assessment of this match and set out what resources could be put in place to allow it to go ahead safely. “No one should be stopped from watching a game of football simply because of who they are and discussions between the Home Office and West Midlands Police continue.” Asked if Downing Street still sees a possibility the game could be policed in a way that would allow Maccabi supporters to attend, he repeated that “discussions continue” with police. The Government said on Monday night it was “deeply saddened” at the Tel Aviv team’s decision and that the game had been “weaponised to stoke violence and fear by those who seek to divide us”. The Israeli club said a “toxic atmosphere” had put the safety of fans wanting to attend “very much in doubt” as it announced its decision. Birmingham’s safety advisory group, the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at Villa Park, last week said that no away fans would be allowed to attend. The Prime Minister then weighed in, calling the move “wrong” and for it to be overturned. The Government had been expecting West Midlands Police to set out this week what they would need to police the game safely with both sets of fans present. Downing Street said earlier on Monday that the UK Football Policing Unit was “reaching out” to Israeli authorities to understand why an Israeli Premier League match between rivals Hapoel and Maccabi was called off on Sunday. Trouble reportedly flared before kick-off in and around the Bloomfield Stadium, a venue shared by Hapoel and Maccabi. And Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy had defended the Government’s efforts to reverse the ban in the Commons on Monday. She said it was legitimate to support the police’s independence to carry out a risk assessment for the match but that it was also legitimate to “question the conclusion that follows when it excludes the people at the heart of that risk”. She said the Government would find the resources to ensure Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans could attend.
