A top UK police chief who oversaw a contentious decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a Birmingham match retired on Friday after public pressure for him to step down.

West Midlands Police and its chief constable Craig Guildford, 52, have been under mounting pressure about how they came to the decision to bar the fans from the November 6 UEFA Europa League match with Aston Villa.

The move sparked political outrage in Britain, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and in Israel, with Israeli leaders denouncing it as "antisemitic".

"The Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, has today retired from West Midlands Police with immediate effect," the regional force's crime commissioner Simon Foster told reporters.

He said the row had become a "significant distraction" to West Midlands Police, which includes Birmingham, the UK's second-biggest city.

"It was important this matter was resolved in a balanced, calm,........

© Al Monitor