UK police chief blames AI for error in evidence over Maccabi fan ban

The police classified the match in Birmingham in November as "high risk", citing previous Maccabi games including a Europa League encounter in Amsterdam which sparked clashes between locals and Israeli fans.

The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the Villa Park UEFA Europa League game was slammed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the government ordering an independent report which is due to be published later on Wednesday.

Scrutiny has increased on West Midlands police after multiple pieces of evidence used to justify the decision proved flawed, with the force rejecting allegations that the move was motivated by politics rather than fan safety.

In an intelligence report for the game, police cited a match between West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv -- which never took place.

When questioned about this by lawmakers earlier this month, chief constable Craig Guildford insisted that the error was the result of a Google search, and that the force had not used artificial intelligence in its research.

However, in a letter to MPs on Wednesday, Guildford admitted that the erroneous information was due to the use of Microsoft Co Pilot, an AI chatbot.

"I would like to offer my profound apology to the committee for this error," Guildford said, adding that there was "no intention to mislead the committee".

That came after UK media reported in December that Dutch police also disputed evidence cited by the West Midlands force to justify the ban.

UK police claimed they were told that Maccabi fans were behind several violent incidents during the 2024 Amsterdam clashes -- but that intelligence was partly contradicted by Dutch politicians and police.

The decision to ban the fans was also sharply criticised by Israeli politicians, who claimed that it was antisemitic.

British interior minister Shabana Mahmood will present the findings of the independent inquiry on Wednesday, which could heap further pressure on Guildford after opposition leader Kemi Badenoch called for his resignation over the debacle.

The Guardian newspaper reported that the watchdog report is set to say that the police made a series of errors in how it gathered and handled intelligence while making the decision.

The match went ahead amid heavy security, but without Maccabi fans after the Israeli team turned down their away ticket allocation.