Last month we discussed three items of BBC content concerning the announcement of a ban on Israeli football fans attending a match in Birmingham.
BBC PROMOTES A NARRATIVE USING MISLEADING PORTRAYALS OF AMSTERDAM ATTACKS
As was noted at the time, readers of those three reports – two of which appeared on the BBC News website and one on the BBC Sport website – encountered framing of the story that was enabled by the promotion of specific themes:
- Distorted portrayals of the November 20204 attacks on Israeli football fans in Amsterdam
- A misleading account of the cancellation of a football match in Tel Aviv
- Uncritical promotion of the partisan viewpoints of a Birmingham MP and additional UK politicians
- Failure to adequately inform on the issue of the politically motivated campaigns seeking to influence the scheduled fixture
Readers of subsequent coverage of that story and its later developments found those themes again promoted in reports that appeared on the BBC Sport website and the BBC News website.
Notably, although the BBC widely cited West Midlands Police, it did not include in its reporting any mention of the NGO called ‘The Hind Rajab Foundation‘ which – according to its own claim – helped compile an anti-Israel dossier “which was handed to West Midlands Police ahead of a Europa League match at Villa Park next month”.
BBC Sport website:
“Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept Villa tickets” uncredited, 20th October 2025
“On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam.” […]
On Sunday, the Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off, after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots”.”
“Villa warn fans against political messaging” Dan Roan, 21st October 2025
“On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam”. […]
But a few hours later Maccabi said they would decline any ticket allocation, claiming “a toxic atmosphere has been created which makes the safety of our fans wishing to attend very much in doubt”.
The club also insisted that the abandonment of the derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Sunday, over what the police called “public disorder and violent riots”, was not down to their supporters. […]
Independent MP Ayoub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency is home to Villa Park, has said Maccabi fans should be excluded for hooliganism – adding on social media that Sir Keir owed an apology to West Midlands Police.”
BBC News website:
“‘Resources will be found’ to police Maccabi Tel Aviv game” Tim Page, 20th October 2025
“On Thursday, West Midlands Police said it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including “violent clashes and hate crime offences” between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv fans before a match in Amsterdam, in November 2024.
On Sunday, the Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off, after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots”. […]
Ayoub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency is home to the Villa Park Stadium, has claimed there was a “deliberate disingenuous move by many to make this a matter of banning Jews”.
He later added: “Those who are not welcome in Aston are hooligans that have a long history of violence and vile racism,” citing anti-Palestinian chants made by some Maccabi Tel Aviv fans at previous matches.”
“Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban ‘poses risk of violence’” Susie Rack and Ed James, 21st October 2025
“Birmingham SAG, the body linked to the issuing of safety certificates for football matches in the city, and comprised of council representatives, police and safety experts, made the call about Maccabi fans last week.
West Midlands Police said then that it supported the decision, and it had classified the fixture as “high risk” based on “current intelligence”.
The force also cited “violent clashes and hate crime offences” during a Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam, in November 2024. […]
On Sunday, the Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off, after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots”. […]
Meanwhile, independent MP for Birmingham Perry Barr, the area covering Villa Park, said he was “relieved” by the Israeli club’s announcement it would not accept a ticked allocation, highlighting previous racism and violence shown by its fans.”
“‘We haven’t failed anyone’: Police chief defends Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban” Josh Sandiford, 22nd October 2025
“Risk assessments that led to the ban have not been made public, but The Guardian has claimed police concluded the biggest risk of violence came from extremist fans of the Israeli club. […]
On Sunday, an Israeli Premier League derby between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Tel Aviv was cancelled before kick-off on Sunday, after what police described as “public disorder and violent riots”. […]
But Ayoub Khan, whose Birmingham Perry Barr constituency is home to the Villa Park Stadium, claimed there was a “deliberate disingenuous move by many to make this a matter of banning Jews”.”
As we will see in part two of this post, as the match approached, promotion of that same framing continued but new themes were also introduced into the BBC’s coverage, including repeated promotion of the West Midlands branch of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign and other anti-Israel groups, further citation of that non-transparent Guardian report and gratuitous amplification of the ‘genocide’ libel.
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BBC PROMOTES A NARRATIVE USING MISLEADING PORTRAYALS OF AMSTERDAM ATTACKS
