October 21 (Reuters Arabic Sports Service) - Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv said on Monday it will not accept any tickets from its visiting fans for its Europa League match against Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse their decision to ban its fans from attending the match.

The ban came after security concerns were raised by British police, who pointed to potential protests outside Villa Park Stadium following demonstrations during Israel's recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.

"Based on the hard lessons we have learned, we have made the decision to reject any allocation offered on behalf of our visiting fans, and our decision must be understood in that context," Maccabi said in a statement.

"We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future."

Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying it was following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group, which is responsible for issuing safety certification for matches at Villa Park.

West Midlands Police described the match as high-risk and said it could see incidents including violent confrontations and hate crimes, similar to what happened before the Ajax vs. Maccabi match in Amsterdam in November 2024.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar described the announcement as "shameful."

Villa are third in the Europa League standings, while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.

(Prepared by Ahmed El-Khashab for the Arabic edition)