'The trust that has been broken will take years to rebuild': Senior Wolverhampton councillor calls for chief constable's resignation over Maccabi Tel Aviv supporter ban

Councillor Simon Bennett, opposition leader on Wolverhampton Council, said Craig Guildford's position was now untenable following his appearance before the parliamentary home affairs select committee about the decision to ban fans of Israeli side Macabbi Tel Aviv from a Europa League tie with Aston Villa on November 6.

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During the hearing, Assistant Chief Constable Mike O'Hara admitted that one of the concerns was the risk of Israeli fans being targeted by local armed vigilantes.

Councillor Bennett said West Midlands Police had also kept the leader of Birmingham Council in the dark about this threat, and instead sought to smear the reputation of the Israeli side.

He described the decision as 'one of the most serious failures of policing and public trust that the West Midlands had seen in decades'.

"What we were told at the time was that Israeli fans posed a risk," said Councillor Bennett. " What Parliament has now been told is the opposite: that they were banned because extremists in Birmingham were planning to attack them, including reports of armed groups."

Councillor Bennett said that if the police could exclude one group of peaceful away supporters because it was easier than dealing with extremists, it set a dangerous precedent. 

"How do we know West Midlands Police will not do the same to Wolves fans one day?" he said.

"Instead of confronting those extremists, West Midlands Police chose to ban the victims — and then blamed them.

"That is not policing by consent. It is institutional cowardice dressed up as security."

He also accused West Midlands police and crime commissioner Simon Foster of failing to hold the Chief Constable to account.