Birmingham – January 15, 2026 In one of the most damaging independent reviews of British policing in recent years, West Midlands Police has been accused of “serious professional failings”, “confirmation bias”, “inadequate community engagement” and the inclusion of completely fabricated information in the lead-up to the controversial decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending the Europa League match against Aston Villa on 6 November 2025.

The force today published a lengthy, unusually contrite statement in which Chief Constable Craig Guildford described the sequence of events as “deeply regrettable” and offered what he called a “profound and unreserved apology” to:

  • the supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv who were prevented from travelling
  • the Jewish community of Birmingham and the wider West Midlands
  • Aston Villa Football Club
  • the Israeli Embassy in the United Kingdom
  • the general public “who rightly expect the highest standards from their police service”

How the Ban Came About – Timeline of a Misjudgement

Late October 2025 West Midlands Police received initial intelligence suggesting possible public order risks if Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters were allowed to attend the fixture at Villa Park. The assessment placed heavy weight on widely publicised incidents of serious violence involving Maccabi fans in Amsterdam during the previous season’s Europa Conference League match against Ajax (October 2024), including attacks on Israeli supporters, property damage and anti-Semitic chanting.

31 October – 4 November 2025 The force’s football policing unit, together with partners in the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group (SAG), began compiling a formal risk assessment. During this period officers reportedly:

  • conducted only minimal consultation with Birmingham’s established Jewish organisations
  • held no direct meetings with representatives of the local Jewish community
  • failed to engage meaningfully with Maccabi Tel Aviv club security officials
  • relied heavily on open-source material and media reporting from the Amsterdam incidents without sufficient corroboration or context

Crucially, the risk matrix presented to the SAG contained a reference to a non-existent fixture: Maccabi Tel Aviv vs West Ham United in London – an event that had never taken place.

5 November 2025 Acting on police advice, the SAG unanimously classified the match as Category C – High Risk and imposed a complete supporter travel ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. The decision was publicly announced the following morning, just hours before the match.

The HMICFRS Inspection: A Devastating Indictment

His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) was asked to conduct an urgent independent review. Its 68-page report, published on 13 January 2026, makes unusually blunt findings:

  • The intelligence picture was “seriously distorted” by confirmation bias
  • Officers placed disproportionate emphasis on the Amsterdam disorder while downplaying or ignoring evidence that Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters themselves had been the primary victims of targeted violence
  • The risk to Israeli fans in Birmingham was “significantly understated”
  • The use of Microsoft Copilot (an AI chatbot) to assist in drafting parts of the risk assessment led to the creation of entirely fictitious information about a phantom West Ham match
  • Chief Constable Guildford initially told the Home Affairs Select Committee that the erroneous reference came from “a Google search”, a claim he later withdrew after internal inquiries revealed the AI origin

The inspectorate concluded that the decision-making process fell “well below the standard expected of a professional police service” and that the handling of the case risked “undermining public confidence in the impartiality of policing”.

Political Storm and Leadership Pressure

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood did not mince words during an emergency statement in the House of Commons yesterday:

“This is one of the most damning inspection reports I have seen during my time in Parliament. The combination of poor intelligence handling, failure to engage communities and the use of unverified AI-generated material represents a profound failure of leadership.”

Although the Home Secretary cannot directly dismiss a chief constable, she has made it clear that she has “no remaining confidence” in Craig Guildford’s ability to lead West Midlands Police.

Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has announced he will hold a special public scrutiny session with the chief constable at the end of January 2026. Many observers now believe the chief’s position has become untenable.

Voices from the Affected Parties

Israeli Embassy, London “The thousands of loyal Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters who planned to travel to Birmingham were collectively punished on the basis of flawed and in some cases invented intelligence. At the very least they deserve a direct, personal apology.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv Supporters Trust “We were painted as the aggressors when, in reality, our fans have repeatedly been the targets of anti-Semitic attacks across Europe. The way West Midlands Police handled this case has caused enormous distress and anger.”

Board of Deputies of British Jews “This episode has reinforced a growing sense among British Jews that their safety and concerns are not always treated with the seriousness they deserve by public authorities.”

What Happens Next?

West Midlands Police has committed to:

  • a complete overhaul of its football intelligence processes
  • mandatory training on AI usage and verification of open-source material
  • the establishment of a standing Jewish Community Engagement Forum for major football operations
  • an external audit of all high-risk match assessments conducted since summer 2024

The Home Affairs Select Committee is expected to publish its own report and recommendations in February 2026, while UEFA has quietly indicated it will examine whether similar blanket bans could be imposed on other Israeli clubs playing in England in the future.

For a force that once prided itself on its pioneering approach to football policing, the Maccabi Tel Aviv affair has become a painful and very public lesson in the dangers of rushed decision-making, inadequate scrutiny and the still-emerging risks of artificial intelligence in sensitive operational contexts.