"It's not the Churchill way", Maccabi Tel Aviv fans react to UK soccer ban

VIDEO SHOWS: SOUNDBITES FROM ISRAEL'S MACCABI TEL AVIV FANS ON DECISION TO BAN THE CLUB'S FANS  FROM ATTENDING A SOCCER MATCH AGAINST ASTON VILLA IN THE UK RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT SHOWS: KFAR SABA, ISRAEL (OCTOBER 17, 2025) (REUTERS – Access all) 1. ISRAEL'S MACCABI TEL AVIV FANS SHAY SAPIR (RIGHT) AND ALON RABINOWICZ, WEARING THE TEAM'S JERSEY AND SCARF TALKING TO REPORTER AT KFAR SABA'S LOCAL STADIUM 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN SHAY SAPIR, 42, SAYING:     "First of all this is a shame and I feel for this decision, that this is a shame, not for me, for all the UK. The great empire of the UK cannot handle some hooligans that risk our lives. What happened to Britain? What happened to the UK?" 3. INTERVIEW IN PROGRESS 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN ALON RABINOWICZ, A MEMBER OF KFAR SABA LOCAL COUNCIL, AGED 40, SAYING:       "If they can't allow us to come for security reasons, they should move the game, maybe to another city in the UK. I know of friends that already bought tickets to the UK to be at the game and they have nothing to do right now with these tickets." 5. MACCABI TEL AVIV LOGO ON CLUB'S SCARF 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN SHAY SAPIR, 42, SAYING:     (Asked whether he thought the decision was related to the war with Hamas in Gaza)      "Well, the war, it has ended. So you have your answer. Of course, that the reason is because that UK is afraid and they are taking the easy way out. Now, you shouldn't take the easy way out. This time it's Maccabi Tel Aviv, next time it's another game, maybe Ukraine, maybe someone else immigrant. What else? Maybe some other country will say something about the Islam and then the radical Islamist in the UK will (UNCLEAR) in the same way? Where it's going to end?" 7. MACCABI TEL AVIV PATCH ON SAPIR'S JERSEY 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN SHAY SAPIR, 42, SAYING:     "You need to be.. (to) enforce your law. You need to come and say straight to the fans – 'everybody is safe in the UK. Every tourist, every fan, you can come to the UK and feel safe. We are an empire, we are strong, we have a strong police force' – and I think that the Scotland Yard should handle this." 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN ALON RABINOWICZ, A MEMBER OF KFAR SABA LOCAL COUNCIL, AGED 40, SAYING:     "Even if we won't be able to go this time, I'm sure there will be Maccabi Tel Aviv fans outside. They will come to the game. As I said, they already have tickets. I have friends that already have tickets to the UK. They have tickets to other games on Saturday or on Sunday in the UK. They made a football trip of it. What football should be." 19. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN SHAY SAPIR, 42, SAYING:     "Just a week ago I was in Belgrade, with my six-year-old son and other friends, and we all toured around the city. All of our jersey was out and our scarf and everything was out. We didn't feel that we needed to hide our identity. We all felt very safe. Everybody was very kind to us. I think this is how fans should feel when they come to another country. And this is how everybody's friends will feel when the football and the sport will come back to Israel and they will come to us. We will.. we will host them in the same way as we think that we should (be) treated." 20. MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN ALON RABINOWICZ LOOKING ON 21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MACCABI TEL AVIV FAN SHAY SAPIR, 42, SAYING:      "They chose the easy way out, the coward way. It's not the Churchill way." 22. VARIOUS OF SAPIR AND RABINOWICZ TALKING 23. SAPIR AND RABINOWICZ CHATTING WITH KFAR SABA PLAYER STORY: Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv fans voiced anger and disappointment on Friday (October 17) after they were barred from attending their club's Europa League clash with Aston Villa in the UK next month.  Aston Villa said on Thursday (October 16) that travelling Maccabi fans – who were involved in violence a year ago in Amsterdam – would be barred from the Europa League match on November 6 after West Midlands police expressed concerns about potential protests outside the stadium. At Kfar Saba’s local stadium, Maccabi Tel Aviv fans Shay Sapir, 42, and Alon Rabinowicz, 40, stood in yellow-and-blue jerseys and scarves, called the UK decision “a shame” and “the easy way out.” The move comes after there were protests at the Israel national team's World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Italy, with police using tear gas on protesters and pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Oslo and Udine. Villa said they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park, based on a number of physical and safety factors. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the announcement. Sapir said he was shocked that “the great empire of the UK” could not guarantee safety for visiting Israeli supporters. “Everybody should feel safe in the UK,” he added. Rabinowicz, a member of the Kfar Saba local council, said the decision had left many supporters stranded. Sapir said that during a visit to Belgrade with his six-year-old son for a soccer match he felt “completely safe and welcomed.” “They chose the easy way out, the coward way,” Sapir said. “It’s not the Churchill way.” Maccabi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Israeli teams have become a focus for pro-Palestinian protesters as passions over the Gaza conflict have run high. Production: Rami Amichay, Michal Yaakov Itzhaki, Lee Marzel)

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