12 hours ago
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Vanessa PearceWest Midlands
Reuters
Police chiefs are giving evidence to MPs about the controversial ban
Evidence cited by police which led to the controversial banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa was based on facts "changed to fit a decision", a group of MPs has heard.
The government's independent adviser on antisemitism, Lord Mann, told the Home Affairs Committee he "struggled" with some "inaccurate" details given by the West Midlands force.
Some of the evidence "conflated" different things in regard to a fixture against Ajax in Amsterdam, he said, giving one examples of running street battles that did not occur on a match day.
Chief Constable Craig Guildford told the committee the decision to ban fans "wasn't taken lightly".
"We have taken a careful approach," he told MPs, adding: "We haven't made anything fit."
UK Parliament
West Midlands Police chiefs have been giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were prohibited from attending the 6 November game at Villa Park in Birmingham, a decision that was later reviewed.
The police evaluation was based primarily on information given to the force by Dutch police commanders ahead of the game, the MPs heard.
Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster are also being questioned their decision-making.
The match, policed by more than 700 officers, passed off without serious disorder and only a handful of arrests, following the decision on the ban by the city's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), a panel that includes Birmingham City Council as well as police.
Lord Mann also highlighted an error in the West Midlands Police intelligence report which referenced a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham, which had never happened, he said.
The chief constable admitted that had ended up in the report "due to a social media post".
Intelligence evidence put forward by police was considered by the SAG.
The panel, bringing together council and police experts, was responsible for imposing restrictions on away fans for the game.
The ban was the "best way to minimise the risks" to the local community, players and fans, said Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara.
"Had we allowed the fans and it had gone wrong I feel that I would be sitting here again anyway."
