Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv say they will not accept any ticket allocation from Aston Villa should the decision to ban them from next month’s Europa League match be overturned.
The Safety Advisory Group (SAG) – the body responsible for issuing safety certificates for matches – informed Villa no travelling fans would be permitted at the match in Birmingham last week.
The decision was widely condemned, with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy pledging that the government will “find the resources” to allow Maccabi fans to attend earlier on Monday.
But the Israel club now say they will not travel for safety reasons.
A club statement said, external: “The wellbeing and safety of our fans is paramount, and from hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
