Aston Villa bosses would be breaking the law if they allow the Europa League football match to take place with Aston Villa fans attending while Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are banned.
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) have written to the President and co-Chairs of Aston Villa to warn that such a ban would put the football club in breach of its duties under the Equality Act.
This is because it would be direct discrimination against Israelis, which is prohibited under section 29(1) of the Equality Act 2010.
Jonathan Turner, chief executive of UK Lawyers for Israel, said:
“Under the Equality Act, there is no ‘get out’ clause for discrimination on safety grounds. If Maccabi Tel Aviv fans are to be banned, then Aston Villa fans should also be banned, and the match played behind closed doors. If an event cannot be held safely without discrimination, the law requires that it not be held at all.
“When the original Equality Act was drawn up in the 1960s, it was against a backdrop of widespread racial discrimination in Britain against black people and other ethnic minorities.
“At the time, many dance halls would not admit black people to their establishments, arguing that it risked sparking a riot. The equality legislation was intended to put a stop to reliance on that kind of justification for blatant discrimination.”
Last Thursday 16 October 2025, Aston Villa FC issued a statement saying the club can confirm that it has been informed that “no away fans may attend the UEFA Europa League match with Maccabi Tel Aviv on Thursday, November 6, following an instruction from the Safety Advisory Group”.
Section 29(1) of the Act prohibits a provider of a service to the public or a section of the public (in this case, entertainment by holding a football match) from discriminating because of nationality against persons seeking the service by not providing them with the service.
UKLFI’s letter explained that if Aston Villa FC holds the match and allows its own fans to attend but does not allow Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend, it is evident that it will be directly discriminating against the latter because of nationality, since the reason given for excluding them is hostility on the part of some people in Birmingham towards Israelis.
Regarding the safety concerns that have been raised, UKLFI points out that there is no exception to the prohibition of direct discrimination by the UK Equality Act. The law requires that if an event cannot be held safely without discrimination, it must not be held at all.
Therefore, holding the match with Aston Villa fans but without allowing Maccabi Tel Aviv fans to attend is not a lawful option.
UKLFI’s letter explained that Aston Villa FC has the following lawful options:
- To persuade the police and safety committee to reverse their position, if necessary on the basis of revised security arrangements;
- To hold the match without any fans at all;
- To hold the match at another ground;
- To cancel the match.
Aston Villa FC’s legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 could be enforced by the Equality and Human Rights Commission or legal proceedings.
Mr Turner commented “We hope that Aston Villa FC will proceed lawfully, preferably by persuading the police and safety committee to reverse their position on the basis of revised security arrangements.”