Britain’s policing scandal over the decision to bar Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from a major European soccer match has escalated sharply, with the country’s police watchdog now investigating former West Midlands Police chief Craig Guildford and four others over possible misconduct.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said Guildford, three officers and a police staff member are under investigation following a months-long examination of how West Midlands Police built the case that ultimately led Israeli fans to be excluded from Maccabi’s Europa League match against Aston Villa. Investigators have already reviewed more than 600 pieces of evidence, including intelligence reports, operational documents, emails, messages and meeting records.

The allegations are serious. The IOPC says Guildford, a senior serving officer and a staff member may have committed gross misconduct. Guildford is being investigated over whether he failed to ensure proper scrutiny of an influential intelligence briefing presented to Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group. The senior officer who helped compile the briefing is accused of potentially failing to ensure its accuracy and impartiality, while the staff member allegedly obtained inaccurate information through AI searches and failed to prevent it from entering police briefings. Two additional senior officers face potential misconduct allegations involving oversight, impartiality and engagement with Birmingham’s Jewish community.

The investigation follows months of revelations about the intelligence used to justify the extraordinary decision to keep Maccabi supporters out of Villa Park.

A British parliamentary inquiry found that West Midlands Police became subject to “confirmation bias,” repeatedly accepting claims portraying the Israeli supporters as uniquely dangerous while failing to properly test contradictory evidence. Some of the information originated from Microsoft Copilot, including a claim about a Maccabi Tel Aviv match against West Ham United that simply never happened.

Other errors were even more striking. Police material claimed 5,000 officers had been deployed during disorder surrounding Maccabi’s 2024 match against Ajax in Amsterdam, while Dutch police told British inspectors that the actual figure was 1,200. A claim that more than 200 Israeli fans were linked to the IDF was found to be an improper conflation of different sources. And a briefing alleged Maccabi supporters had thrown innocent people into a river. Investigators found the evidence showed the opposite: a Maccabi supporter had been thrown into a canal, apparently by members of a pro-Palestinian group.

At the same time, Parliament found that police downplayed threats directed at the Israelis themselves. Intelligence indicated that members of local communities in Birmingham had discussed “arm[ing] themselves” ahead of the match, yet the presentation to decision-makers focused heavily on the danger supposedly posed by Maccabi fans. The committee also found police failed to properly consult local Jewish representatives before the ban, despite warnings that the decision could be perceived as antisemitic.

The Home Affairs Committee ultimately found no evidence of a conspiracy to exclude the Israelis, but said it could not rule out political pressure playing a role. It concluded that evidence supporting a preexisting narrative had been accepted while authoritative evidence pointing in the other direction was ignored.

Guildford initially told lawmakers that West Midlands Police had not used AI in producing the faulty information. He later corrected that account after learning Microsoft Copilot had in fact been used. Parliament concluded he had not intentionally misled the committee because the AI use had apparently not been disclosed to him beforehand, but sharply criticized what it called his “remarkable lack of professional curiosity.” Guildford retired as chief constable amid the growing controversy and scrutiny.

The match itself went ahead without Maccabi’s traveling supporters. Hundreds of police were deployed as pro-Israel and anti-Israel demonstrations took place outside Villa Park, with 11 arrests but no major outbreak of violence.

West Midlands Police now acknowledges that the episode damaged public confidence and says it is cooperating fully with the IOPC investigation while working to rebuild trust. The watchdog stressed that the misconduct notices are not findings of guilt and do not guarantee disciplinary proceedings. Investigators will decide after completing their work whether any of those involved have a formal case to answer.