Screen grab of Craig Guildford, chief constable of West Midlands Police, appearing at the House of Commons in London this month. Ms Mahmood said the force had had a “failure of leadership” that “harmed the reputation and eroded public confidence in West Midlands police and policing more broadly”. She said she would seek to restore to the home secretary the power to sack chief constables in new legislation. The force said it was told by Dutch police that Maccabi fans were perpetrators of the violence, not victims. Dutch police disputed a claim that Maccabi fans had at one point thrown people into a river.

Source: The Irish Times January 14, 2026 20:46 UTC