West Midlands Police have issued a formal apology to a group of Members of Parliament after incorrectly suggesting that Birmingham's Jewish community supported a ban on fans of an Israeli football team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, attending a match at Aston Villa. Chief Constable Craig Guildford admitted there was no documented evidence of such support and clarified that any views shared by community members were done so privately and after the decision was made. The apology follows confusion caused by earlier statements to a parliamentary committee and comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the decision to bar Maccabi supporters, which was made by a local safety panel and drew criticism from across the political spectrum.

Birmingham City Council has announced plans for an independent review of the process that led to the ban, aiming to improve future governance. The Home Secretary has also ordered a national review of how police provide risk assessments for high-profile events. The match itself, heavily policed, concluded without major incidents, while Maccabi Tel Aviv has since been sanctioned by European football authorities for alleged discriminatory behaviour by its fans.