A British lawmaker called on Wednesday for UEFA and soccer club Aston Villa to cancel an upcoming Europa League match against Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv, warning that the game could inflame tensions amid the war in Gaza.
Ayoub Khan, who represents Birmingham, where the game is scheduled to be played on November 6, posted a video on X urging soccer authorities to intervene.
“We are calling on UEFA, the UK Culture Minister, and the club itself to urgently cancel this fixture or take immediate steps to ensure public safety and community harmony,” Khan wrote on X.
The lawmaker cited recent footage from Amsterdam showing Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters tearing down Palestinian flags from balconies ahead of a game. “I've started a petition to boycott Maccabi Tel Aviv,” he said in a video uploaded to X. “There is no space for violence or any thugs to come into Aston, or indeed Birmingham.”
His comments come less than a year after assailants, some masked and carrying Palestinian flags, attacked Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters in Amsterdam after a Europa League match against Ajax, leaving about 10 injured and leading to some 60 arrests.
UEFA has not responded publicly to Khan’s remarks. The match against Aston Villa is scheduled to mark the start of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Europa League campaign.