We have a expression. For when you’re team loses an important game (and please note: there is no such thing as an ‘unimportant’ game, other than when England are playing). And you moan, you cry, you shout, smash a few plant pots and call your therapist. That’s when your mate says: ‘its only football’. Its a term of ironic magnitude. It is the sort of thing your wife would say. IF SHE DARED!!! But indeed it is ‘only football’.

Because football is a game. A sport. A bit of fun. Ok, it all gets a bit emotional. A bit ‘partisan’, but a game is what it is.

And it shouldn’t be political.

Yet the City of Birmingham, our ‘Second City’ (though I’m going to suggest relegating it to 9th), a city incapable of collecting its own garbage (the ‘recycler’s strike is in its 473rd month), has the brilliant idea of banning Jews from its ‘borders’. Well, banning supporters of Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending the match against Aston Villa on November 6th. Because of ‘safety concerns’. Mainly that the Israeli team ‘may’ cause some kind of ‘protest’ and that the police cannot guarantee the safety of the away fans.

Which simply stinks of a ‘no jews allowed in Birmingham!!!!’ policy. And if they come; don’t expect us to protect them; we’re too busy enforcing 20mph speed limit zones in the suburbs.

Kier Starmer HIMSELF!!!! has said this is completely unacceptable and is reviewing the situation with the Safety Advisory Group. And inevitably, after masses of pressure, the ‘ban’ will be reversed and they’ll call in the National Guard (if we had one), the 5th Artillery and the Coldstream Guards to protect the Israelis.

But the damage is done. It is now a ‘big issue’ and will have Roger Waters screaming and Sigourney Weaver up in arms, plus all the ‘river to the sea’ mob taking their keffiyahs up to Brum for the 6th. And the Tel-Aviv guys are not really your stereotypical, torah-studying, hard-praying, type of black-hats. They’re hard. Aggressive. Will not be intimidated by crowds of baying Palestine flag-wavers. As they weren’t when they visited Holland last year for a match and mini-war. It was awful.

However, as Galatasaray fans aren’t banned here, for all their flare-firing, throat-slitting hostilities, nor Red Star Belgrade, nor all the other revolting East Europeans who come here to act horribly, the Tel Aviv thing is different. Its saying: we can’t protect Jewish people from the hatred in our nation. And that’s not just a little bit ‘wrong’, but totally fucking wrong.

Happy Friday

A xxxx