The retired chief constable of West Midlands Police has been referred to the police watchdog over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from attending a match against Aston Villa last November.
Craig Guildford, 52, announced his retirement from the force on Friday and West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster, who had the power to sack him but did not, then said Mr Guildford had acted with honour.
But in a statement on Monday, after meeting West Midlands Police’s acting chief and acting deputy chief constables, Mr Foster said: “These matters have had a significant impact on public confidence, and the confidence of particular communities in the West Midlands. This is unacceptable.
“The force know that I expect them to comply with the very highest standards of conduct at all times.
“I will therefore today make a voluntary referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) regarding any conduct matters by the former chief constable in relation to these events.
“Continuing to hold the force to account for its actions, arising from the ban on away supporters from attending the football match on November 6 remains a top priority.”
The police watchdog confirmed on Monday that it will investigate the decision to ban the Israeli football team’s fans from attending the November Europa League match.
The IOPC said it will determine if any officer or staff member may have a case to answer for misconduct, saying questions remain about individual roles, duties and planning for the game.
Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park by the local Safety Advisory Group (Sag), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force.
A review by Chief Inspector of C1onstabulary Sir Andy Cooke, ordered by the Home Secretary, found eight “inaccuracies” in a report from the force to Birmingham’s Sag, including a reference to a non-existent game between Tel Aviv and West Ham, found to be an “AI hallucination” produced by Microsoft Copilot.
Rachel Watson, IOPC director general, said: “In the last 24 hours we’ve received new information from West Midlands Police around their initial assessment of any potential misconduct. We have also requested more evidence from HMICFRS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services).
“There are many unanswered questions and it’s right for accountability and public confidence for us to independently investigate.
“We will now undertake a full assessment of the evidence, and gather more where necessary, to establish if any of the officers may have breached police professional standards in relation to duties and responsibilities.
“Our investigation will examine the briefings and intelligence report provided to the Safety Advisory Group which underpinned the decision to ban supporters. HMICFRS found it contained inaccuracies. We will go beyond that to understand who was involved in its preparation, how information was obtained, and what checks were in place.
“It was incumbent on those preparing and delivering the report to ensure its veracity and that reasonable efforts be made to ensure it was accurate.
“Our investigation will also consider the record keeping, or lack of, by individual officers and the assertion in briefing documents to the Sag that local representatives of the Jewish community in Birmingham had been consulted.”
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