Shabana Mahmood declares no confidence in police chief behind ban on Israeli soccer fans

LONDON: British interior minister Shabana Mahmood said on Wednesday she no longer had confidence in one of Britain’s top police officers after his force recommended Israeli soccer fans be barred from attending a match in England last year.

The ban caused a diplomatic dispute shortly after an antisemitic attack that killed two men at a synagogue in the northwestern English city of Manchester, when tensions were high because of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

The decision was condemned by both the British and Israeli governments, and Jewish community leaders accused the force of misrepresenting intelligence and undermining public confidence.

“We have witnessed a failure of leadership that has harmed the reputation and eroded public confidence in West Midlands Police and policing more broadly,” Mahmood told parliament.

“I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands Police no longer has my confidence,” she said, referring to Chief Constable Craig Guildford.

Mahmood cannot directly sack police chiefs – only police and crime commissioners can formally remove them – but said the government would bring forward legislation to give her that power in future cases of “significant or persistent failings”.

In 2022, London Mayor Sadiq Khan lost confidence in the then-city police chief Cressida Dick, which prompted her to step down after Khan said he was not satisfied she could deliver the changes needed to restore trust in the force.

The game against Aston Villa was played without major disruption although police made 11 arrests when pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli supporters demonstrated outside the stadium.

In November 2024, more than 60 people were arrested in Amsterdam after clashes following a match between Maccabi and Ajax.

REPORT FINDS POLICE OVERSTATED THREAT

An independent inquiry commissioned by Mahmood’s office found that police overstated the threat from Israeli fans, relied on inaccurate intelligence, and missed opportunities to engage with the local Jewish community.

But the report found no evidence of antisemitism, political interference or malign intent in the force’s decision.

Guildford said on January 6 that the recommendation was based on information given to his officers and that he did not doubt their integrity.

In a letter on Monday, Guildford apologised after acknowledging a fictitious reference to a West Ham-Maccabi Tel Aviv match in a report about the force’s decision had been generated by Microsoft’s Copilot AI tool.

He had previously said artificial intelligence was not used in preparing the document.