Khaberni - The head of the British police force announced his resignation, on Friday, following criticism after his recommendation to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a football match against Aston Villa in Birmingham last year.
Craig Guildford, the Chief of Police in the West Midlands will step down from his position immediately, following increasing pressure for resignation after the controversy, announced by locally elected Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster.
Guildford's position has been controversial since Wednesday when a report was published about his decision to prevent Maccabi fans from attending the match at Villa Park on November 6. The report concluded that the decision last year, excessively estimated the threat posed by Maccabi fans and underestimated the danger to them.
After its release, the British Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated that she had lost confidence in Guildford and urged him to resign. She said she does not have authority to dismiss Guildford, due to policy changes by the previous Conservative government in 2011, but she is seeking to restore this power to Home Secretaries, currently held by locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners.
The ban on fan attendance came at a time when concerns about antisemitism were growing in Britain, following a deadly attack on a Jewish synagogue in Manchester, and calls from Palestinians and their supporters to boycott Israel in sports due to the war with Hamas in Gaza.
At that time, the Midlands Police believed the match might pose significant risks based on current intelligence and previous incidents, including violence and hate crimes that occurred when Maccabi faced Ajax in Amsterdam last season.
