A former senior British police chief and three other officers are facing misconduct investigations over the decision to prevent supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv
from attending a Europa League match in Birmingham last year.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), Britain’s independent police watchdog, said on Wednesday that it had identified potential grounds for disciplinary action following an extensive review of the circumstances surrounding the ban.
The case centres on a November 2025 Europa League fixture between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Aston Villa at Villa Park. West Midlands Police, which is responsible for policing Birmingham and is one of the largest forces in England, advised that Maccabi supporters should be excluded from the stadium because of concerns over public safety.
The recommendation triggered a political and community backlash in Britain and Israel. Both governments criticised the decision, while representatives of the Jewish community accused the force of exaggerating the security threat and providing an inaccurate picture of the intelligence available to it.
The match ultimately went ahead without Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters inside the stadium. Police nevertheless faced protests involving both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli demonstrators outside the ground, with 11 people arrested. There was no major disorder during the fixture.
The controversy intensified in January when West Midlands Police Chief Constable Craig Guildford announced his immediate retirement. The decision came after the Home Secretary said she had lost confidence in him and followed the publication of an independent review that identified several failures in the force’s handling of the situation.
The IOPC has now confirmed that Guildford and another member of staff are being investigated for gross misconduct. Three additional officers are facing investigations for misconduct.
Derrick Campbell, the IOPC’s director of engagement, said investigators had reviewed hundreds of pieces of evidence before concluding that there were indications that some police personnel may have acted in ways that could warrant formal disciplinary proceedings.
The investigation follows an independent assessment that found West Midlands Police had overstated the potential threat posed by Maccabi supporters. The review also concluded that some intelligence used in the decision-making process was inaccurate and that the force had failed to make sufficient efforts to consult Birmingham’s Jewish community.
West Midlands Police has maintained that its original recommendation was based on intelligence available to officers at the time, as well as experience from previous incidents involving football supporters.
The misconduct investigation does not itself establish that any officer committed wrongdoing. The IOPC’s findings will determine whether the evidence ultimately supports disciplinary action against those under investigation.
The affair has become a significant test of how British police forces balance security assessments, freedom of movement and concerns over public disorder when policing highly politically charged sporting events. Photo by Ian Wilson from London, England, Wikimedia commons.
