65 m. ago Young Boys manager claims fans were ‘provoked’ as crowd troubles mars Aston Villa match

Donyell Malen was struck on the top of his head by a cup that was thrown from the away end as the Young Boys fans clashed with police and stewards at Villa Park

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12 h. ago Donyell Malen suffers cut on his face after Young Boys thugs pelt him with missiles during goal celebration as Aston Villa's 2

DOMINIC KING AT VILLA PARK: Donyell Malen left Villa Park with the prize for being Player of the Match but also an unwanted scar after his side's Europa League stroll was pockmarked by violence.

Events

12 h. ago Aston Villa star suffers cut on his face after Young Boys thugs pelt him with missiles during goal celebration before ripping out seats in violent clashes with police

DOMINIC KING AT VILLA PARK: Donyell Malen left Villa Park with the prize for being Player of the Match but also an unwanted scar after his side's Europa League stroll was pockmarked by violence.

Events

13 h. ago Aston Villa see off Young Boys in win marred by away fans fighting with police

Donyell Malen has a cut to the head and two more goals to his name after leading Aston Villa to the verge of automatic qualification for the last 16 of the Europa League against a backdrop of more crowd violence from Young Boys supporters.The Netherlands striker exemplifies Villa’s strength in depth but this 10th win in 12 games was marred by visiting fans ripping up seats, throwing missiles at stewards and Villa players – one striking Malen – and fighting with police. Continue reading...

Sport

4 d. ago Aston Villa rally to put Leeds in trouble with Morgan Rogers double

Five defeats in six and the anxiety is beginning to show for Leeds. For the second game in a row they took an early lead through Lukas Nmecha but ended up with nothing, Morgan Rogers producing a pair of remarkable finishes to lift Aston Villa into the Champions League qualification slots. Leeds remain in the relegation zone.Villa began the season apparently still feeling the hangover from the defeat at Old Trafford on the final weekend of the last campaign that cost them European football. But having failed to win any of their first six games, they have won nine of their last 11 in all competitions, the depth of their squad beginning to tell. Donyell Malen began on the bench and, while he may not have scored in his third successive game, his arrival at half-time shifted the momentum of the game as Villa became only the second away side in 26 to win in the league at Elland Road. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Aston Villa rally to put Leeds in trouble with classy double from Morgan Rogers

Five defeats in six and the anxiety is beginning to show for Leeds. For the second game in a row they took an early lead through Lukas Nmecha but ended up with nothing, Morgan Rogers producing a pair of remarkable finishes to lift Aston Villa into the Champions League qualification slots. Leeds remain in the relegation zone.“Performance-wise we’ve turned back to what we want to be,” said Daniel Farke. “We should’ve taken some points from this game. We are not back to our best. We can still improve, but at the end we are just disappointed we did not get any points.” Given the way Leeds faded in the second half and their lack of guile throughout, that was perhaps an overly sanguine reading. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Premier League Match Centre issues statement after Leeds vs Aston Villa controversy

Lukas Nmecha put Leeds United 1-0 up in the early stages of their Premier League game against Aston Villa on Sunday after VAR decided Emi Martinez had not been fouled

Politics

2 w. ago Buendía sets up Aston Villa rout as Martínez saves frustrate Bournemouth

After Emiliano Martínez’s mistake allowed Mohamed Salah to open the scoring at Anfield last weekend, there was a statistic doing the rounds that only three players had made more errors leading to Premier League goals since the Argentinian signed for Aston Villa five years ago. The life of a goalkeeper and all that.But Martínez tends to thrive when in the line of fire and here he pulled off two brilliant saves, including one to deny Antoine Semenyo from the penalty spot, before the substitutes Ross Barkley and Donyell Malen sealed a 4-0 win that lifts Villa above Bournemouth in the table. For Andoni Iraola’s side, their first notable off-day of an otherwise fine start. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago UK police arrest 11 around soccer match between Aston Villa and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv

British police have arrested 11 people around a Europa League soccer match in Birmingham between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv

Events

3 w. ago Protests outside match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv lead to 11 arrests

Teenage boy among those arrested outside groundMP Ayoub Khan speaks at pro-Palestine demonstrationEleven people were arrested during protests outside Villa Park on Thursday after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were banned on safety grounds from attending the Europa League match, sparking intense controversy.A large Pro-Palestine demonstration took place in the shadow of Aston Villa’s stadium, with protesters calling for the match to be cancelled and for Israeli teams to be banned from multinational competitions. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv police issue major update after night of protests

Missiles were allegedly thrown at West Midlands Police officers near Villa Park last night where Aston Villa played Maccabi Tel Aviv, a match to which away supporters were banned

Events

3 w. ago Stop and search powers remain in place after protests before Aston Villa match

Palestinian flags and banners calling for a boycott of Israel were placed on the ground beside Trinity Road amid pro-Palestinian chants.

Events

3 w. ago Fraught, tense and visceral: there’s never been a football match quite like Maccabi’s visit to Aston Villa | Barney Ronay

Undeniably strange and redolent of wider horrors at one remove, this was a groaning platter of geopolitics with a tiny little sprig of sport dusted across the topYou could almost, almost have played it for laughs. If it wasn’t so bleak, or so profoundly unsettling. But then, this is Birmingham, so there does have to be some gallows humour buried in there.Either way an hour before kick-off on the streets outside Villa Park it became clear that the 700 police officers present were being asked to keep apart three distinct, and equally energetic factions: pro-Palestine, pro-Israeli and pro YouTubers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Watch: Protests outside Villa Park ahead of Maccabi Tel Aviv Europa League match

Warning: This livefeed playback may contain offensive language and scenes viewers may find distressing.

Events

3 w. ago Six arrests made before Aston Villa face Maccabi Tel Aviv amid demonstrations

The league phase match at Villa Park, which the hosts won 2-0, became a major political event.

Events

3 w. ago Maatsen and Malen help Aston Villa avoid more controversy in win over Maccabi Tel Aviv

The prevailing sense was of relief that, after all the breathless conjecture and discussion that had dominated the nation’s news cycle at times, an event with no real winners passed safely. At least Aston Villa did what was expected of them, ultimately coming through with comfort against a respectable Maccabi Tel Aviv team who had chances to make a sleepy affair more interesting. They needed the points to put their Europa League campaign back on track, settling for a rasping Ian Maatsen finish and, in the second half, a Donyell Malen penalty.This tie had loomed glaringly when it was drawn out in August. Back then there was a sizeable clamour for Israeli clubs to be barred from European competition, a stance pressed home by several placards held by protesters outside the stadium. That has largely quietened since a ceasefire was agreed in the Gaza war but the noise around Maccabi’s visit was ramped up when visiting fans were banned from attending the game on public safety grounds. In ...

Politics

3 w. ago UK police arrest 6 ahead of soccer match between Aston Villa and Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv

British police said six people were arrested Thursday evening ahead of Aston Villa’s Europa League soccer match with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Birmingham, a match that has seen fans from the Israeli team banned

Events

3 w. ago Police make arrests outside Villa Park amid ring of steel for match with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Hours before kick-off, hundreds of police officers, as well as scores of riot vans, dog units and drones took their positions in Birmingham amid fears of mob violence spilling out onto streets.

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3 w. ago How the Gaza war overshadowed the beautiful game as Tel Aviv fans banned from Aston Villa match

Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. supporters have been banned from a ground in Birmingham in a highly divisive move branded antisemitic. But Israeli football also has racism problems that need addressing, campaigners tell James C. Reynolds

Events

3 w. ago Masked Muslim protesters post 'Zionists not welcome' signs around Birmingham ahead of Aston Villa match against Israeli team as 700 police gear up and schools close early

Gangs of masked Muslim protesters have posted 'Zionists not welcome' signs around Birmingham just hours before Aston Villa 's clash against Maccabi Tel Aviv.

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