The chief constable of Britain’s West Midlands Police force said he would retire immediately on Friday, after being heavily criticized over a decision to ban soccer fans of Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a game at Aston Villa last year.

The West Midlands force, which covers Birmingham in central England and is one of Britain’s biggest, recommended that the Israeli fans should not be allowed to attend a Europa League match on November 6 because of security concerns.

The decision caused a diplomatic dispute, coming shortly after an antisemitic attack that killed two men at a synagogue in northwest England, and when tensions were high because of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza.

A report by the police watchdog this week found there had been a number of mistakes made by the West Midlands force, including basing its decision on a match which never took place and failing to communicate with the local Jewish community.

Subsequently, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she no longer had confidence in the force’s chief constable, Craig Guildford, and on Friday he said he would retire with immediate effect.

“I have come to the conclusion that the political and media........

© The Times of Israel