A petition launched by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is calling for Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv to be cancelled, accusing Israel of using sport to “obscure genocide.”
A petition is calling for Aston Villa’s Europa League match against Maccabi Tel Aviv next month to be cancelled, claiming Israel is using football to “obscure the truth that it is carrying out a genocide.”
The campaign, led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), urges the FA chair Debbie Hewitt, Aston Villa chair Nassef Sawiris, and UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin to call off the November 6 fixture. The open letter, which has gathered over 18,000 signatures, also demands Israel’s suspension from international football bodies.
The letter states: “I am writing to demand immediate action is taken to ensure that Aston Villa’s match with Maccabi Tel Aviv does not go ahead. The FA and UEFA must work to cancel the match and expel Israel from membership.”
Authorities in Birmingham have already banned Maccabi fans from attending, labelling the match “high-risk.” The UK Government attempted to reverse the decision, but the club confirmed it would not sell tickets.
The PSC said it plans to deliver the letter physically to the FA, insisting that “allowing Israeli football teams to compete in international competitions sanitises this horrific violence.”