TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Maccabi Tel Aviv has announced it will decline any tickets offered for a Europa League game against Aston Villa next month regardless of growing calls for the English city of Birmingham to reverse a ban it imposed on the Israeli club's fans.

West Midlands Police last week deemed the Nov. 6 match at Villa Park to be high risk and cited violence and hate crimes that took place when Maccabi Tel Aviv played at Ajax in Amsterdam last season .

The ban subsequently imposed on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans for the Villa game attracted widespread criticism, including from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said it was the wrong decision .

In a statement posted on social media late Monday, Maccabi Tel Aviv acknowledged the efforts to overturn the ban but added: “Th

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