Aston Villa are in The Netherlands tonight to play Go Ahead Eagles in the Europa League.  But it’s their next match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv in two weeks time that’s been causing a huge amount of controversy.  Last week, Villa announced they’d been informed by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group that no away fans can attend the match based on advice from the West Midlands Police.

The police said their decision was based on “current intelligence and previous incidents, including violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 UEFA Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Amsterdam.”

The Guardian’s Jonathan Liew tells us why the English political class was so eager to attack a decision of their own police force, and why a ban on Maccabi Tel-Aviv is not a ban on Jewish football fans.  Plus there’s Sean Dyche’s return in all his glory, and Luton Town’s precipitous fall.

Click the player at the top of the page to play the show. Monday’s shows are free to all. To listen to our programming throughout the rest of the week, join the Second Captains World Service. There’s no contracts, no hidden fees and shows can be listened to on all good podcast apps, on Spotify or through our website. It’s independent, commercial-free and member-led with feature interviews, breaking news, Ken’s Football Show, The Politics Podcast, and lots of added extras. You’ll also be supporting the development of our longer-form work, such as our international series’  ‘Where Is George Gibney?’ and Stakeknife.

Go to Patreon

CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING LIVE SHOWS & GET TICKETS WHEREVER YOU ARE.

LIVE SHOW TICKETS

BECOME A SECOND CAPTAINS WORLD SERVICE MEMBER AND GET COMPLETE ACCESS TO ALL OUR SHOWS AND ARCHIVE.

JOIN US