Police Chief Steps Down Over Maccabi Fan Ban Controversy

On January 16, 2026, the long-simmering controversy surrounding the West Midlands Police’s decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a Europa League match against Aston Villa reached a dramatic climax. Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the force’s top officer, announced his immediate retirement amid mounting public and political pressure, capping off months of scrutiny over a decision that has divided opinion across the UK and beyond.

The saga began in early November 2025, when the Birmingham Safety Advisory Group, acting on the recommendation of West Midlands Police, barred Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from attending their team’s away match at Aston Villa in Birmingham. The official rationale cited concerns over potential violence, referencing intelligence—later revealed to be deeply flawed—about the risk posed both by and to the Israeli club’s fans.

According to BBC News, Chief Constable Guildford, who had led West Midlands Police since December 2022, found himself at the center of a political and media maelstrom. The force’s intelligence report, used to justify the ban, included eight inaccuracies. Among these was a fabricated reference to a match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and West Ham United—a game that never took place, but which had somehow been inserted into police briefings by Microsoft Copilot, an artificial intelligence tool. This error, labeled an “AI hallucination” by the policing watchdog, would become emblematic of the broader failings in the police’s risk assessment process.

As the fallout intensified, the UK’s Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, weighed in decisively. On January 14, 2026, she announced to Parliament that she had lost confidence in Guildford’s leadership, citing the “confirmation bias” evident in the force’s intelligence gathering. “He has done the right thing by stepping down,” Mahmood later told MPs, underscoring the gravity of the situation. Yet, due to reforms made in 2011 that shifted the power to sack chief constables from the Home Secretary to police and crime commissioners, Mahmood herself could not dismiss Guildford. That responsibility lay with Simon Foster, the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.

Foster, for his part, declined to sack Guildford, instead opting to await the findings of a parliamentary report and a public meeting scheduled for later in January. When Guildford announced his retirement, Foster praised his “honourable” conduct and thanked him for his service to the people of the West Midlands. “It is important that I acknowledge the many positive achievements and contributions that Craig Guildford has made to policing within the West Midlands during the course of his three years’ tenure as Chief Constable,” Foster said at a press conference outside police headquarters in Birmingham. He noted that the resolution avoided a potentially lengthy and disruptive process, adding, “It was important that this matter was resolved in a balanced, calm, fair, measured and respectful manner.”

Yet, not everyone was satisfied with how the matter was handled. The Campaign Against Antisemitism called for Foster’s own resignation, denouncing his “pitiful” failure to sack the chief constable outright. Meanwhile, Conservative and Reform UK parties echoed calls for Foster to step down, arguing that the force’s mishandling of the situation had shaken public trust in the police’s impartiality and competence.

At the heart of the controversy was the question of whether the ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was justified by genuine public safety concerns or tainted by prejudice and faulty intelligence. The policing watchdog’s review ultimately found “no evidence” that antisemitism played a role in the decision. However, it did identify an “imbalance” in the information considered, and the force itself admitted that “mistakes were made.” Guildford, for his part, insisted that the decision was “not politically influenced,” and described it as a “necessary tactic with a legitimate aim, absolutely not antisemitic, rather a carefully considered, legitimate and necessary measure to ensure public safety.”

Nevertheless, the flawed intelligence underpinning the ban was hard to ignore. Much of the police’s assessment drew on reports from Dutch authorities following violent incidents involving Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam in November 2024. Dutch police described over 200 fans as “experienced fighters,” “highly organised,” and “intent on causing serious violence,” with some allegedly linked to the Israeli military. Incidents of violence involving Maccabi fans were not limited to the UK or the Netherlands. In October 2025, Israeli authorities cancelled a match in Tel Aviv due to riots, and in November, videos circulated showing Maccabi fans launching fireworks at their manager’s residence after a string of poor results. According to Israeli outlet Ynet, the manager, Zarko Lazetic, resigned, citing threats and a lack of protection.

Despite the gravity of these incidents, critics argued that the West Midlands Police’s response in Birmingham was disproportionate and based on unsubstantiated fears. The force’s claim to have consulted with the Jewish community—later revealed to be untrue—deepened mistrust. Guildford departed without issuing an apology for the concern caused by the ban or for the misleading statements regarding community consultation, as BBC News reported. This omission drew further ire from advocacy groups and members of the Jewish community.

The political reverberations were swift. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy accused the force of caving to antisemitism, though these claims were dismissed as unfounded by the official review. Independent MP Ayoub Khan, representing Birmingham Perry Barr, offered a contrasting perspective, defending Guildford as “an honourable man of integrity (who) has been ruthlessly scapegoated… in favour of appeasing hooligans and the very violence his actions prevented.” Khan called the episode “a dark and shameful chapter for Birmingham,” lamenting what he described as a witch hunt rather than genuine accountability.

As the dust settled, Deputy Chief Constable Scott Green was appointed as Acting Chief Constable, with Jen Mattinson stepping in as Acting Deputy Chief Constable. Green expressed pride in the force’s recent progress, including leading West Midlands Police out of “Special Measures” in record time. The new leadership faces the challenge of restoring public confidence and ensuring that lessons are learned from the controversy.

Craig Guildford’s retirement marks the end of a turbulent chapter for West Midlands Police, but the debate over how best to balance public safety with civil liberties—and the reliability of modern intelligence tools—remains far from settled.