0h 14min, jan 16, 2026 y - Guildford Retires over Israeli fan ban

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The chief constable of West Midlands Police has retired after damning criticism of a decision to ban Israeli fans from a match against Aston Villa.

Craig Guildford's retirement was confirmed on Friday after both Downing Street and the home secretary said this week they had lost confidence in his leadership.

He faced numerous calls to resign after apologising for providing incorrect evidence to MPs, which included the denial that AI was used in a report which led to the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the game on 6 November.

Announcing his retirement, Guildford, 52, did not offer an apology and blamed what he described as the "political and media frenzy" for his decision to step down.

"I have carefully considered my position and concluded that retirement is in the best interests of the organisation, myself and my family," he said.

"It has been the honour of my career serving as the chief constable of West Midlands Police."

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