A senior British police official retired Friday after criticism over the decision to ban fans of Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv from attending a football match against Aston Villa.
His exit comes after UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Wednesday she had lost confidence in the ability of Chief Constable Craig Guildford, the head of West Midlands police, to run the force.
Simon Foster, the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands, declined to sack him from running the second largest force in the country.
But on Friday Mr Foster, who is the only person with the power to remove the chief constable, announced Mr Guildford would retire with immediate effect in the “best interest” of West Midlands Police. He said Mr Guildford had acted “with honour” in stepping down.
“I am pleased this outcome has been reached having regard to due process and the law," he said. "That has prevented what might otherwise have been a complex procedure, that would have caused significant distraction, impact and cost to West Midlands Police and the wider West Midlands. It was important this matter was resolved in a balanced, calm, fair, measured and respectful manner."
Ms Mahmood said Mr Guildford had “done the right thing”.
The Guardian newspaper, which reported Mr Guildford’s decision, said the 52-year-old will be entitled to his full pension.
He first became a police constable in 1994 and has served as the head of West Midlands Police since 2022. The force has admitted “mistakes were made” over the ban.
Ms Mahmood ordered the policing watchdog to review the decision-making around the ban, which she said showed “confirmation bias” and a “failure of leadership” in West Midlands Police.
“What is clear from this report is that on an issue of huge significance to the Jewish community in this country and to us all, we have witnessed a failure of leadership that has harmed the reputation and eroded public confidence,” she told MPs.
“The ultimate responsibility for the force’s failure to discharge its duties on a matter of such national importance rests with the chief constable, and it is for that reason that I must declare today that the chief constable of West Midlands Police no longer has my confidence.”
Following her statement, Mr Foster said he awaited a parliamentary report over the matter and was to question his chief constable at a public meeting on January 27 before considering his position.
He said he had not seen the letter from chief inspector of constabulary Sir Andy Cooke setting out his “preliminary views” before Wednesday and “must now give it careful and detailed consideration”.
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 Sir Andy 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.
Other inaccuracies included overstating the number of Dutch police officers deployed during the match, claims fans were linked to the Israeli military, claims Muslim communities had been intentionally targeted by Tel Aviv fans and reports of multiple Dutch police officers being injured in the disorder.
Mr Guildford has insisted the decision was not politically influenced.
The policing watchdog’s review said there is “no evidence” anti-Semitism played a part in the force’s decision to ban the Israeli team’s fans, but added there was an “imbalance” in the information the force used to inform its decision.
Ahead of the review’s publication, Mr Guildford also apologised for giving incorrect evidence to the Home Affairs Committee, where he appeared twice over the controversy and said it was “never his intention” to mislead MPs.
