BIRMINGHAM, England :British police were mounting a large operation with 700 officers to prevent trouble in the city of Birmingham on Thursday where Aston Villa were to play Israeli soccer club Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.

With Israeli sports teams a focus for pro-Palestinian protests during the Gaza conflict and Villa initially saying away fans would be barred on police advice, Maccabi reluctantly opted not to accept tickets for visiting supporters.

Despite that, pro-Palestinian groups were planning to stage protests while there have been some calls on social media for counter-demonstrations.

West Midlands police said there would be a big police presence in the centre of Birmingham, which has a large Muslim population, and around the stadium.

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