��������

BIRMINGHAM: Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans won’t be allowed to attend a Europa League game at Aston Villa next month because of security concerns, the English club said Thursday.
Villa said in a statement that their local police force advised “they have public safety concerns outside the stadium bowl and the ability to deal with any potential protests on the night.”
“The club are in continuous dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process,” Villa said, “with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv visit Villa Park on Nov. 6. It will be the team’s first away game in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece when the club played PAOK on Sept. 24.
About 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that game and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.
The London-based Jewish Leadership Council called Thursday’s decision unfair.
“It is perverse that away fans should be banned from a football match because West Midlands Police can’t guarantee their safety. Aston Villa should face the consequences of this decision and the match should be played behind closed doors,” the organization said in a statement.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans clashed violently with city residents in Amsterdam last season when the team visited for a Europa League game against Ajax.
European soccer body UEFA had been weighing a vote to suspend Israeli teams from its competitions before that was overtaken this month by the ceasefire in Gaza.

NEW YORK: Senior figures behind the 2026 World Cup dismissed concerns that US president Donald Trump could move matches from cities he does not deem “safe.”
Republican president Trump said last month that he would consider moving games from Democrat-controlled San Francisco and Seattle if they did not cooperate with his immigration and crime initiatives.
He raised the issue again this week, this time targeting Boston and its Democratic Mayor Michelle Wu, suggesting he could appeal directly to FIFA boss Gianni Infantino.
John Kristick, who led Canada, Mexico and the United States’ successful bid to jointly host the 2026 finals, emphasized that planning has been underway for nearly a decade and remains unaffected by political rhetoric.
“From what I’m seeing, there’s been zero distraction in terms of the preparedness,” Kristick, co-head of global events at Playfly Sports Consulting, told Reuters.
“Tickets are already being sold. Hospitality packages have been sold for almost a year now.”
Over one million World Cup tickets have been purchased so far, FIFA said on Thursday, with fans from 212 countries and territories snapping up seats.
The United States account for 11 of the 16 host cities for the largest-ever edition of the tournament, with 48 teams and 104 matches in the expanded tournament.
The quadrennial soccer showcase is returning to the United States for the first time since 1994, when the tournament sparked a new era for the sport in a country long ambivalent to it.
Earlier this year, Miami World Cup
officials
moved to allay fears that the United States’ stricter
immigration
stance under Trump could deter overseas fans that it hopes to attract.
FIFA previously said that the global governing body for soccer has the final say on whether to move the 2026 World Cup but this week noted: “Safety and security are obviously the governments’ responsibility.
“They decide what is in the best interest for public safety,” FIFA added.
“We hope every one of our 16 host cities will be ready to successfully host and fulfil all necessary requirements.”
Ricardo Trade, CEO of the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Local Organizing Committee, said the abundance of good stadiums in the United States would make the possibility of relocating games “feasible,” so long as it does not happen after the Dec. 5 draw.
“In a country like the United States, where every state has large, ready-to-use stadiums, I don’t see why it wouldn’t be possible,” said Trade, who also served as CEO of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 in the US
New York and New Jersey, responsible for eight games, including the final, have maintained their focus, said NYNJ Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry, with daily fan festivals planned across the country’s biggest metropolitan region.
“We’ve spoken to FIFA, we’re working with the White House Task Force, I don’t think there’s any worry about the games being moved,” said Lasry.
“I have no concern, but if you know, anyone wants to move games, from Chicago to here or from anywhere to here, we’re more than excited to have more games.”