Under-fire police chief Craig Guildford blamed a “political and media frenzy” as he quit over the Israeli football fan scandal. Mr Guildford, who is set to keep his pension, dodged the sack after West Midlands Police was accused of using “falsified intelligence” to justify banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from attending a game against Aston Villa.

But he was allowed to retire from his £220,000-a-year role, prompting a fresh wave of fury and calls for the police and crime commissioner, Simon Foster, to resign as well. Critics warned “a Chief Constable cannot bow to the demands of an Islamist mob” as some called for him to face a police standards probe. It comes after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she had lost confidence in the Chief Constable.

Mr Guildford said: “I have come to the conclusion that the political and media frenzy around myself and my position has become detrimental to all the great work undertaken by my officers and staff in serving communities across the West Midlands.

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

“It has been the honour of my career serving as the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.

“With the force’s dedicated and hard-working workforce, together we have turned this force around. I therefore want to take this opportunity to recognise the outstanding level of service that this force provides to the public.

“I know this will continue, thanks to all of the officers, staff and volunteers who work for WMP who all strive to keep the public safe.

“I would also like to thank all of the communities of the West Midlands for your support. I will greatly miss the incredible people I have had the privilege to meet, work with and serve across the region.”

Ms Mahmood said the force “overstated” the threat posed by Israeli football fans whilst underplaying the risk from local Islamist mobs ahead of the match.

A police watchdog probe into the scandal found the intelligence was “exaggerated” in some cases, whilst in others it was “untrue”.

Labour PCC Mr Foster initially refused to sack the Chief Constable as he tried to cling on to power.

And Mr Guildford wanted to remain in post until at least the end of the month.

But pressure continued to build after Downing Street also said it had lost confidence in him.

And Mr Foster said on Friday night: “The Chief Constable Craig Guildford has today retired from West Midlands Police with immediate effect.

“In doing so, he has acted with honour and in the best interests of West Midlands Police and our region, I welcome his decision.”

Responding to Mr Foster’s statement, the Home Secretary said: “The findings of the Chief Inspector were damning. They set out a catalogue of failings that have harmed trust in West Midlands Police.

“By stepping down, Craig Guildford has done the right thing today.

“I would like to acknowledge his years of service. And I pay tribute to the work of the officers in West Midlands Police, who keep their community safe every day.

“Today marks a crucial first step to rebuilding trust and confidence in the force amongst all the communities they serve.”

And Mr Guildford could now face a probe from the police standards watchdog.

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “A Chief Constable cannot bow to the demands of an Islamist mob and then mislead Parliament and stay in their job. I am glad he is now ‘retiring’ but it’s extraordinary that the Labour PCC and the Home Secretary didn’t just sack him.”

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the Daily Express: “Craig Guildford disgraced himself and his force.

“Allowing Islamists to force the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans and then fabricating evidence to pretend the ban was because of the Maccabi fans’ own behaviour was disgraceful.

“Craig Guildford should have been fired by the Labour police and crime commissioner – but he was too weak to act. Craig Guildford’s move to retire is simply not good enough.

“He should now face gross misconduct proceedings through an IOPC investigation, which can continue even after retirement or resignation. I will now be writing to the IOPC to call for this.”

Reform UK head of policy Zia Yusuf said: “Craig Guildford should not be allowed to retire as West Midlands Police chief, he should be held accountable for his actions. He should have been dismissed following his abhorrent decision to ban fans from attending the Maccabi Tel Aviv match against Aston Villa last year.

“What emerged from Mr Guildford’s appearance before the select committee was extraordinary. He misled the public and capitulated to violent extremism. His position had already become untenable.

“We must not allow Islamists, thugs, or terrorists to believe they can dictate what happens on our streets.”

Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, said: “Mr Guildford’s must not be the last departure from among the force’s leadership, and obviously he cannot be replaced by another senior figure implicated in the same scandal.

“The disgraceful conduct of Mr Guildford and Mr Foster shows who really rules the roost in local affairs in Birmingham.

“Focus must now turn to the Islamists who browbeat the police into carrying out their wishes to ban Jews: which individuals, groups and radical mosques participated in the campaign?

“What has happened in Birmingham is a test case for the British state.

“The man who is the national police lead on ethics and misconduct distorted reality and appeased Islamists before the eyes of the nation and instead of being sacked immediately, he was allowed to see himself out at his own pace, with all of the enormous benefits of retirement.”

Police watchdog Sir Andy Cooke found that West Midlands was guilty of “confirmation bias”, seeking only evidence to support their desire for a ban rather than “following the evidence”.

This saw the force focus on a Dutch game where there had been violence, but not more peaceful matches in Greece, Ukraine and Denmark.

Inaccurate claims included links between fans and the Israeli Defense Forces, the targeting of Muslim communities, the mass tearing down of Palestinian flags, and attacks on police officers and on taxi drivers.

Mr Guildford admitted his force used AI to find evidence of trouble involving the Israeli team.

And it justified banning fans after the AI search found social media posts about violence at a fictitious match involving West Ham United on November 9, 2023.

That day, West Ham were playing against Greek side Olympiacos. Maccabi Tel Aviv, meanwhile, were playing in Lublin, Poland.