The former chief constable of West Midlands Police, Craig Guildford, is being investigated for gross misconduct over the banning of Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters from a match against Aston Villa.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed the probe, which also covers three serving police officers and a civilian staff member. It forms part of an independent investigation launched in January to examine how the force planned for the Europa League fixture at Villa Park on 6 November 2025.

If you followed the fallout at the time, the decision to bar travelling fans triggered widespread national and international debate, leading the government to state it would do everything in its power to overturn the measure.

Supporters were ultimately prevented from travelling because of safety concerns outlined in an intelligence report prepared by West Midlands Police. However, eight separate errors were later identified in that report, including overstating Maccabi supporters' role in disorder in Amsterdam in 2024 and referencing a non-existent match against West Ham that was generated using Microsoft Copilot.

According to the IOPC, evidence indicates Mr Guildford "may have had oversight on an intelligence briefing document presented to the safety advisory group (SAG) that was later reported to have contained inaccuracies and misleading information." The watchdog alleges the document "gave an imbalanced view of the risk away fans posed," which contributed to the ban imposed by Birmingham's Safety Advisory Group, a panel that includes the force and Birmingham City Council.

Sir Andy Cooke, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary, concluded that confirmation bias influenced the force's recommendations. He stated: "I have several other concerns including, but not limited to, inaccurate information in written communication, a failure to engage with the local Jewish community early enough and poor record keeping and retention of important information."

West Midlands Police has since admitted in documents that it "overstated the evidence" used to justify the ban and conceded that "we did not engage early enough with the local Jewish community." The force noted it has now banned the use of AI following the fabricated match details, adding that hosting 2,500 away supporters would have required a four-day operation involving multiple police forces and costing upwards of £5m.

The investigation also extends further into the force. A senior serving officer who led the preparation of the briefing is under investigation for allegedly failing to ensure its accuracy, with the IOPC examining whether the document was "lacking impartiality" and whether the officer "may have failed to appropriately handle sensitive intelligence."

Meanwhile, a staff member who researched intelligence for the match is accused of gathering inaccurate details through AI searches and failing to take action to stop them being included in briefings. Two other senior officers face potential misconduct inquiries over their operational oversight and impartiality.

Mr Guildford retired from the force in January after both Downing Street and the home secretary stated they had lost confidence in his leadership. When announcing his departure, he did not offer an apology, instead blaming what he called a "political and media frenzy."

Retirement does not stop the disciplinary process. If gross misconduct is proven at a misconduct hearing, Mr Guildford is likely to be placed on the barred list, preventing him from ever working in policing again. I'll be following this one — check back for updates.