Removing Israeli teams from UEFA competitions/Boycotting the Maccabi TA game

[Ads]

Us canceling the game would be dumb as fuck. At best we'd receive a massive fine, at worst be kicked out and receive a ban. Meanwhile Maccabi pick up the win, the win money, and the points that may see them progress to play more matches.

Very unlikely....an AVFC pro humanity/anti genocide stance would generate huge support across the world. UEFA wouldn't have bottle to kick us out, every other club in the group would be under pressure to do likewise, and we will qualify anyway.

We may not get kicked but everything else would happen. Everything

I think t is somewhat delusional to think anything much on your wish list would happen. Villa are a mid ranking European Club who everyone forgot about for 25 years until this time last year. We have little influence. 

Yup. It would generate an equal mixture of support and hatred across social media, and the reaction from the people in charge would be something along the lines of "why are you jumped up little pricks rocking this boat which we'd really rather you weren't rocking?"

Obviously it's by the by, given we're not going to be forefeiting anything, because we're not stupid.

Can Starmer really be in charge if he's in Netanyahu's pocket?

In this context, those in charge = UEFA.

That's fair enough. I don't suppose there's any room left in the pocket for them too.

[Behind Bluenose Lines]

We shouldn’t have to be hosting this club. 
But the reality is we are. 
So the option with probably the least amount of dangers of people getting hurt is to play it behind closed doors. 
Beat them and move on.

Hear! Hear!

[TonyD]

We'd literally deserve to be kicked out if we forfeited the game. If we want to play in UEFA competitions we can't pick and choose which of the clubs that qualified for the competition we want to play against.

I think we should be able to not play teams from countries that have been committing genocide. 

[PeterWithesShin]

We play teams that are owned by utter scum in the league. And in Europe. Play the game with no away fans, slap them 4-0, gloat, and then crack on.

[dave.woodhall]

I can just imagine the shitstorm if an Arab-owned club in a Muslim area (which is what we'd be portrayed as) pulled out of a match against Israelis.

[rob_bridge]

Fuck that. Why should Villa be penalised in any way whatsoever?

I dunno - self flagellation. Give everyone else a chance and MTA more of a chance.

[Brazilian Villain]

I expect an annoucnement that Police from other forces will be asked to help out WMP and then the "risk" will drop enough for SAG.

Yeah, that seems the most likely solution atm.

[Martyn Smith]

I just find it an utter disgrace that opposition to a decision made by a specialist football policing unit, is being led by the Prime Minister for political expediency. It is, as more and more political action in the UK seems to be, straight out of the Trump playbook

[Stu]

I think it is being used as a political pawn rather than a genuine safety concern and for Starmer to use it by claiming its wrong on Antisemitism, then he is an even bigger cnut than everyone thinks he is - his party hate the jews almost as much as they do the working class.

Bit early in the morning for festivities. Keir Starmer’s wife and kids are Jewish.

[Sexual Ealing]

I can just imagine the shitstorm if an Arab-owned club in a Muslim area (which is what we'd be portrayed as) pulled out of a match against Israelis.

I know you weren't making this point, but it's worth knowing (I only found it out recently) that our Arab owner is from a Christian background. Not that it should or does make a difference, just that there is no* angle here in that context.

*Well, maybe a different one anyway.

[TaxDodger]

We'd literally deserve to be kicked out if we forfeited the game. If we want to play in UEFA competitions we can't pick and choose which of the clubs that qualified for the competition we want to play against.

I think we should be able to not play teams from countries that have been committing genocide. 

Well. Personally I'd be pretty pissed off if Villa were arrogant enough to think they were qualified enough to make all-encompassing moral decisions on the Arab-Israeli conflict to the point they were willing to risk serious long term damage to the prosperity of the football club. It's very much a moot point though as we clearly aren't going to forfeit the match.

[Martyn Smith]

We may not get kicked but everything else would happen. Everything

I think t is somewhat delusional to think anything much on your wish list would happen. Villa are a mid ranking European Club who everyone forgot about for 25 years until this time last year. We have little influence. 

Agreed, plus the last thing we need is Jezza waving a Villa banner at one of the "Pro-Palestine" marches.

*Obviously Zarah wouldn't, given she's an MP in Coventry.

In what sort of fever dream do you think that would happen?

[Monty]

I can just imagine the shitstorm if an Arab-owned club in a Muslim area (which is what we'd be portrayed as) pulled out of a match against Israelis.

I know you weren't making this point, but it's worth knowing (I only found it out recently) that our Arab owner is from a Christian background. Not that it should or does make a difference, just that there is no* angle here in that context.

*Well, maybe a different one anyway.

Palestinians being among the more Christian Arab populations, of course. Mostly in the diaspora, for sadly obvious reasons.

[olaftab]

We play teams that are owned by utter scum in the league. And in Europe. Play the game with no away fans, slap them 4-0, gloat, and then crack on.

I am with you except let their fans in and thrash them.

[Martyn Smith]

This little bundle of love and inclusivity has spoken. There's also a video but bollocks to watching it

Katie Hopkins @KTHopkins

Things are speeding up fast in the U.K.

I have long known about @WMPolice …

The U.K. has banned Jews from attending football  … what next? Public transport?

Oh can't she crawl back under the stone?

KH is a perfect example of how, eventually, if you stop paying too much attention to the far right, they just go away again. But now all the appeasement by Starmer of the right, and taking the argument onto their ground (and oh so predictably having his arse whipped on said ground) has given her oxygen here