The combined Maccabi thread - now with are you going? poll

[WassallVillain]

Not quite.

Designated stadia do need a safety certificate but they aren’t issued on a match by match basis:

https://sgsa.org.uk/regulatory-support/safety-certification/

The SAG report was sent to Villa and UEFA!

Presumably they are considering there was a specific one issued for this game in line with what PWS stated in his post.

[PeterWithesShin]

Another example, Bromsgrove had a safety certificate of say 1200 at the Vic, even though it held way more. That's what attendances were capped at. When they went on the Vase run they had to apply a few times for new safety certificates each round to be allowed increased maximum attendances. These were dependant on meeting the safety requirements for larger crowds.

[Crown Hill]

That’s more accurate.

[Crown Hill]

Not quite.

Designated stadia do need a safety certificate but they aren’t issued on a match by match basis:

https://sgsa.org.uk/regulatory-support/safety-certification/

The SAG report was sent to Villa and UEFA!

Presumably they are considering there was a specific one issued for this game in line with what PWS stated in his post.

No it doesn’t work like that!

[LeeB]

It seems the hysterical reaction to this from all sides and a few I was unaware even existed underlines why it was a good idea.

[Brazilian Villain]

It's been hijacked by people claiming antisemitism. And Islamists. And Pro-Palestine protestors. And right wing bigots. And X Wankers.

Don't forget the Threads Wankers.

From the bits I've seen on TV and social media, the criticisms seem to be aimed more at the 'state' of Britain today rather than than the Villa.

[Dave]

I'm obviously (currently) signed up to the "they were banned because they're thugs, not because they're Israeli so the political knobs on both sides should butt out" side of the argument, but I do wonder - how would the last few days have played out had we been playing the (comparatively) cuddly, non-thuggy Hapoel Tel Aviv instead of Maccabi Tel Aviv?

I'd like to tell myself that their supporters would be welcomed / had the piss taken out of them like any other and the match would play out without political inteference or incident. But...that wouldn't be true, would it?

I imagine that the away supporters ban (maybe? hopefully?) wouldn't have happened, so all of the "other stuff" would have happened under less of a spotlight and every two-bit commentator who has never even heard of Aston Villa before 9pm last night wouldn't be sticking their oar in. But match day itself would probably still have been *really* awful, wouldn't it?

[Stu]

It seems the hysterical reaction to this from all sides and a few I was unaware even existed underlines why it was a good idea.

Tim Farron of the Lib Dem’s had a normal one about it:

“The former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described the ban as racist: “‘We can’t have Jews watching football, people might get violent towards them’ – are we seriously saying that we are incapable of protecting football fans from racism? I’m flabbergasted. This is shameful.

“‘We’re not banning them because they’re Jewish, it’s because they’re hooligans … ’ is the risible defence for the ban from people who know nothing about football or hooliganism, but are desperate not to acknowledge or admit their own racism. This is a stain on Britain.”

[PeterWithesShin]

Hard to know with Hapoel as they're about as left wing as it gets in Israeli football. I reckon there'd be less around this match if Amsterdam hadn't happened. And it would almost certainly have been far worse if it was Beitar. who revel in their racism and anti Muslim views.

[cdbearsfan]

And we would still have Starmer cheerleading for them.

[Brazilian Villain]

Tim Farron of the Lib Dem’s had a normal one about it:

“The former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron described the ban as racist: “‘We can’t have Jews watching football, people might get violent towards them’ – are we seriously saying that we are incapable of protecting football fans from racism? I’m flabbergasted. This is shameful.

Tom Daley was shocked by his comments.

[PeterWithesShin]

Beitar had a couple of Muslim players on loan a few years ago, when one of them scored in a home game loads of fans left in protest. They hate arabs even more than muslims and have never had an arab player, from memory the only top flight Israeli side not to have.

[amfy]

We are now literally headline news!

[PeterWithesShin]

We have been all day, never saw us at number 1 most read on the Beeb though, we peaked at #2 whenever I looked, and now are out of the top 10.

[amfy]

I mean the a National 6pm News on TV!