West Midlands Police relied on inaccurate information, including a non-existent football match generated by AI, and failed to properly consult Birmingham’s Jewish community before the decision to exclude away fans from an Aston Villa Europa League match.
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A Commons committee has criticised West Midlands Police over the controversial decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending a Europa League fixture at Aston Villa on November 6, saying the force showed “confirmation bias” and failed to carry out “even basic due diligence” on key information.
The Home Affairs Committee’s report into the October 2025 decision says West Midlands Police relied on an inaccurate narrative about disorder linked to a previous Maccabi Tel Aviv match in Amsterdam and that some of the claims repeated to officials and MPs originated from a query to Microsoft Copilot AI. The error meant a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham had been referenced.
A report released today says the force’s portrayal of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans as a unique threat was not supported by the evidence available, stating there was “no evidence” to suggest supporters as a whole “attack community members”. It also says the suggestion the fans posed a particular risk to local Muslim communities in Birmingham “is not borne out by any evidence” and that the MPs could not rule out that political pressure had played a part in the decision.
MPs say West Midlands Police also “failed to retain contemporaneous notes” of discussions with Dutch police following claims around Maccabi fans behaviour at an Ajax game including that they threw locals into a river. The report also highlighted problems over candour and accuracy in evidence given to Parliament which they say raises “serious questions about the culture of transparency and commitment to accuracy” in the force.
The report also finds West Midlands Police did not engage directly with Birmingham’s Jewish community until after the decision was made, saying this “significantly damaged relations” and contributed to perceptions the ban was antisemitic, but confirming that the committee had seen no evidence antisemitism was a motivating factor.
The committee is also critical of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Simon Foster, concluding he “appeared to prioritise defending the Chief Constable above holding him to account” until further information emerged and the situation became untenable.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism has told LBC that the PCC should now be considering his own position. Stephen Silverman, Director of Investigations and Enforcement said: “It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the Police and Crime Commissioner did indeed fail in his responsibilities, and he should really now consider his position.” Mr Silverman added: “He sounds like a man desperately trying to cling on to his job. His position is untenable… He just needs to go and go now.”
Craig Guildford announced that he would be retiring from West Midlands Police as Chief Constable after the force faced days of press scrutiny and mounting pressure for him to quit over the controversy.
The decision to exclude away supporters was ultimately made by Birmingham City Council through its Safety Advisory Group (SAG). But MPs say the SAG “failed to provide sufficient challenge” to the evidence it received from the police, and recommend the Government ensures elected politicians cannot sit on such groups in the future, after it emerged some councillors sitting on the group were campaigning to stop the game altogether.
Elsewhere, the committee criticised ministers, including the Prime Minister and Home Secretary, for heightening tensions by criticising the move too late. By intervening after the decision to ban away fans had already been publicly announced, the Government escalated the situation and was "ineffectual" in enabling the Israeli fans to attend, it said.
West Midlands Police’s handling of the case is now the subject of an Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation and the force has blocked all access to the Microsoft AI tool, Co-Pilot.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, gave LBC a statement saying: "I will be giving careful consideration to the Home Affairs Committee Report and determining what action is required arising from its conclusions and recommendations. I acknowledge, recognise and understand the significant strength of feeling shared by many, including myself, as a consequence of the serious concerns and shortcomings arising from the actions of West Midlands Police (‘WMP’).
"I immediately called on Birmingham City Council Safety Advisory Group (‘SAG’) and WMP, to convene a Special SAG, and conduct a review of the decision, to prohibit the attendance of away fans at the football match, between Aston Villa FC v Maccabi Tel Aviv FC.
"I continued to hold WMP to account, in accordance with the evidence, due process and the law, including in connection with the reliability of intelligence from Dutch Police, at my Accountability and Governance Board and my referral of the former Chief Constable to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.
"I have been clear, this must never happen again. I am continuing to hold WMP to account, to ensure the constant and unremitting action required, to implement the plan to restore and rebuild the trust and confidence of the public. That is essential, because without trust and confidence, it is not possible to ensure policing is with the consent of the people or to have an effective and efficient police force."
West Midlands Police told LBC: “On Monday 19 January 2026, his first day in office, Acting Chief Constable Scott Green, issued a full and sincere apology on behalf of West Midlands Police for the damage caused to the public’s trust and confidence in West Midlands Police. He also, on the same day, asked Temporary Deputy Chief Constable Jen Mattinson to undertake a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in relation to any recordable conduct matters by senior officers in West Midlands Police in relation to these events.
“We remain fully committed to learning from these events and have already made early efforts through a series of meetings with key local representatives to repair any damage caused by the loss of confidence that the public has in us.
“We have launched Operation Strive which seeks to restore the trust and confidence that the public have in West Midlands Police, and which is being personally led by Acting Chief Constable Green. This work continues.
“The officers, staff and volunteers of West Midlands Police, particularly those on the frontline, work tirelessly to protect the communities that we serve without fear or favour. This will not change.
“We are actively supporting and engaging with the IOPC’s investigation and the ongoing HMICFRS review of Safety Advisory Groups. It would be inappropriate for us to comment any further at this time.
“Following the release of the findings from the Home Affairs Committee investigation, West Midlands Police will work through the recommendations made and the Acting Chief Constable would welcome the opportunity to provide an update to the Committee in the future.”
Cllr John Cotton, Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “We welcome this thorough report, and I thank the committee for their diligent work. “The report correctly identifies that West Midlands Police were the key drivers of the decision to ban away fans, but there are also clear actions for the council, which we will undertake.
“In addition to the Government review into Safety Advisory Groups, we are also conducting our own independent review which will report back shortly. It is crucial that we all work together to rebuild trust, particularly with Jewish communities and I have already met the interim Chief Constable to make that clear. I am encouraged by the initial steps he is taking to rebuild trust and confidence.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We thank the Committee for their thorough report.
“This report shows the Home Secretary was only informed that a ban on fans was one possible option before the decision was taken. After that point, the Home Office sought to find ways by which fans could safely attend the game.
“It is important that we learn from the events of last autumn and what was a serious failure of leadership by West Midlands Police.
“In such circumstances the public rightly expect action. As part of our reforms to policing, we will restore the Home Secretary’s power to remove chief constables.
“The Home Secretary also commissioned the Chief Inspector of Constabulary to investigate how effectively police forces in England and Wales contribute to safety advisory groups and other bodies responsible for public safety and high-profile events.
“In the meantime, West Midlands Police must continue to focus on rebuilding trust and confidence amongst all the communities it serves.”