West Midlands Police chief constable blamed for the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan fiasco could be sacked in days after report is given to the Home Secretary
Senior Tories have called for Craig Guildford to be sacked as head of West Midlands Police over his handling of the force's decision to ban the Israeli fans from an Aston Villa game last year.
By JACK HARDY, NEWS REPORTER and REBECCA CAMBER, CRIME AND SECURITY EDITOR
Published: 16:08 GMT, 11 January 2026 | Updated: 18:03 GMT, 11 January 2026
An under-fire chief constable could be ousted as soon as this week when a report into the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan fiasco is handed to the Home Secretary.
Senior Tories have called for Craig Guildford to be sacked as head of West Midlands Police over his handling of the force’s decision to ban the Israeli fans from an Aston Villa game last year.
He has been accused of using false intelligence about Maccabi Tel Aviv hooliganism to justify the move, while covering up warnings that members of Birmingham’s Muslim community were planning to ‘arm’ themselves to ambush travelling supporters.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch is among those calling on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to remove Mr Guildford from his post, saying the force had ‘capitulated to Islamists’.
His fate could be decided this week when the findings of an investigation by the chief inspector of constabulary, Sir Andy Cooke, are presented to Ms Mahmood.
He was asked by the Home Secretary to produce a report into how West Midlands Police reached the decision, the conclusions of which she is expected to share with Parliament.
Sir Andy will this week provide an expedited version of a wider report which is due to be published later in the year.
It comes amid mounting revelations about the force’s handling of the affair, with police logs obtained by The Telegraph this weekend showing officers recorded gangs of ‘Asian youths looking for a fight’ heading to the Villa Park hours before the Europa League fixture.
Around this exact time, Ch Supt Tom Joyce was blaming Maccabi fans for the ban during an appearance on Sky News, saying it was a decision taken ‘exclusively’ because of their hooliganism.
This has continued to be the force’s position, despite the ban being announced in the wake of a vocal campaign in Birmingham by pro-Gaza independent MP Ayoub Khan and local Muslim activists.
Pressure is mounting for Craig Guildford, the chief constable of West Midlands Police (WMP), to be sacked over the banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending an Aston Villa match
Fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv (pictured) were banned from their Europa League fixture at Villa Park on November 6