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West Midlands Police admits `mistakes made´ over Maccabi Tel Aviv fan ban
PA Media
The force did not address the future of its Chief Constable Craig Guildford.
Received: 17:44:19 on 14th January 2026

West Midlands Police have admitted “mistakes were made” over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa but have failed to address the future of their chief constable facing calls to resign.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told MPs on Wednesday she had lost confidence in Chief Constable Craig Guildford after a “damning” review from the policing watchdog over the decision to bar the Israeli football team from attending Villa Park in November.
Ms Mahmood had said the report by Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Andy Cooke showed “confirmation bias” and a “failure of leadership” in West Midlands Police.
But responding to the concerns, the force made no mention of Mr Guildford’s position as a senior leader.
A statement read: “We have received a copy of the preliminary review today and acknowledge that this recognises the unintentional nature of our errors.
“We are extremely sorry for the impact these have had on individuals and their communities.
“We know that mistakes were made but reiterate the findings that none of this was done with an intent of deliberate distortion or discrimination.”