Ex-chief constable investigated over Israeli fan ban

The former chief constable of West Midlands Police is being investigated by the police watchdog for gross misconduct over the banning of Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a match against Aston Villa.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has given notice that it is investigating Craig Guildford, as well as three police officers and a staff member.

An independent investigation was launched by the IOPC in January to examine the involvement of West Midlands Police officers in the planning and preparation of the match at Villa Park on 6 November 2025.

The ban attracted national and international debate, with the government saying it would do everything in its power to overturn it.

Maccabi supporters were barred from travelling to the game following safety concerns based on an inaccurate report prepared by West Midlands Police.

Eight errors were found in the report, including overstating Maccabi supporters' role in disorder in Amsterdam in 2024, and a reference to a non-existent game between Maccabi and West Ham, said to have been produced by Microsoft Copilot.

His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, said that confirmation bias had influenced the way West Midlands Police reached and communicated its recommendation over the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans.

"I have several other concerns including, but not limited to, inaccurate information in written communication, a failure to engage with the local Jewish community early enough and poor record keeping and retention of important information," he said.

The decision to impose the ban was made by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group (SAG), which included representatives from bodies including West Midlands Police and Birmingham City Council.

The IOPC said evidence indicated that Guildford "may have had oversight on an intelligence briefing document presented to the safety advisory group (SAG) that was later reported to have contained inaccuracies and misleading information".

It is alleged the briefing document "gave an imbalanced view of the risk away fans posed", contributing to the decision to ban the supporters.

The police watchdog added: "We consider Mr Guildford may have failed to ensure due diligence and the highest level of scrutiny over such an influential document."

West Midlands Police admitted that it "overstated the evidence" used to make the decision to ban the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, in documents released in January.

The force said "we did not engage early enough with the local Jewish community", and indicated there was now a ban on AI use after its evidence included a match that did not take place.

Furthermore, it said its operations would have lasted four days, involved multiple forces, and cost more than £5m, if 2,500 away fans had attended the match.

Guildford retired from the force after both Downing Street and the home secretary said they had lost confidence in his leadership.

Announcing his retirement, Guildford did not offer an apology and blamed what he described as the "political and media frenzy" for his decision to step down.

It is understood that if gross misconduct is proven against Guildford at a misconduct hearing, he would likely be placed on the barred list which would prevent him from working in policing in the future.

A senior serving officer, who played a lead role in compiling the briefing, is also under investigation for allegedly failing to ensure its accuracy.

The watchdog said the officer may not have accurately represented some information which could have resulted in the briefing "lacking impartiality".

They are also examining whether the officer "may have failed to appropriately handle sensitive intelligence" contained in the report, before it was shared with SAG members.

The staff member, who was involved in researching and compiling intelligence for the game, is alleged to have sourced inaccurate information from AI searches and took no subsequent action to help ensure it was not included in briefings.

Two other senior serving officers who played important roles in the force's planning for the game have been notified they are being investigated for potential misconduct.

It is alleged one was not sufficiently diligent in the exercise of their duties in overseeing the operation, including balancing operational needs alongside engaging with local Jewish communities, and that they displayed a lack of impartiality towards Maccabi fans in both external and internal communications.

The other officer will be investigated in relation to their oversight of the briefing document and an allegation that they too lacked balance in references to Maccabi supporters.

A dedicated investigation team at the IOPC has examined more than 600 pieces of evidence, including operational documents, reports, intelligence research, minutes of meetings, and a large volume of correspondence including emails and messages.

The IOPC's director of engagement, Derrick Campbell, said: "Our investigation to date has been to assess whether there is an indication anyone may have breached one or more of the standards of police professional behaviour.

"We have examined a wealth of material, hundreds of pieces of evidence, and believe there is an indication some people serving with the police may potentially have behaved in a manner that could justify disciplinary proceedings.

"They have been informed their conduct will be investigated. At the end of our investigation, we will decide if anyone has a case to answer and should face a misconduct meeting or hearing."

Campbell added that the serving of notices did not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings would follow, saying all decisions would be kept under review as the investigation progressed.

West Midlands Police's temporary deputy chief constable, Jen Mattinson, said that she undertook a voluntary referral to the IOPC on her first full day in the role regarding conduct matters by senior officers and staff.

"This referral was made prior to the IOPC announcement to use their 'power of initiative' to independently investigate if any officer or staff member may have a case to answer for misconduct," Mattinson said.

"We recognise that the public's trust in West Midlands Police has been damaged by this event and we have worked hard over the last seven months - and continue to do so - to rebuild confidence in the force.

"We will continue to fully engage and cooperate with the IOPC as their work continues", Mattinson added.

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