Deny, deny, admit: UK police used Copilot AI “hallucination” when banning football fans

After weeks of steadfast denial, the chief constable of West Midlands Police has acknowledged that the decision to prohibit Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a match in the UK was influenced by inaccurate data generated by Microsoft Copilot AI. The controversy traces back to an October 2025 meeting held by Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group (SAG) to assess the safety of an upcoming football match between Aston Villa and Maccabi Tel Aviv. This assessment was particularly sensitive following a tragic terror attack on a synagogue in Manchester that left several individuals dead. Amid heightened fears of potential violence, West Midlands Police recommended barring Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from the event, citing concerns over reported violent behavior during a previous match in Amsterdam. This decision sparked significant backlash and political debate, with critics arguing that it appeared to unfairly target Jewish fans while overlooking the broader context of Islamic terror threats. The match, which took place on November 6, was held without any fans, but the fallout from the police's decision continues to generate discussion months later. Adding to the controversy, the police's initial narrative concerning the Amsterdam match began to unravel. Reports indicated that police had exaggerated claims, initially stating that 500-600 Maccabi fans had engaged in violent acts targeting Muslim communities, later inflating the number of officers deployed to manage the unrest from 1,200 to 5,000. The discrepancies have only intensified scrutiny on the police's use of AI tools in critical decision-making processes.