LONDON, England: Entering a football match without a ticket will become a criminal offence ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final at Wembley, more than five years after thousands of ticketless fans stormed the stadium, reported PA Media/dpa.
Offenders across England and Wales could face a five-year football banning order and a fine of up to £1,000 (RM6,345) from starting this the weekend.
A subsequent review by Louise Casey, the government’s football regulator, found that lives were put at risk when supporters broke into Wembley Stadium during the Euro 2020 final.
The new laws follow her findings that sanctions on breaking into stadiums were weak and that tailgating should become a criminal offence.
Policing Minister, Sarah Jones, told the Press Association: “This is a new piece of legislation and, of course, the police are planning on how to implement it.”
It gives officers “more armoury” to “deter and then respond to people who are disrespecting paying fans by trying to get in without paying themselves”.
She added: “This is something that I don’t think any party could oppose – it cannot be right that some people pay and some people don’t and that people are put at risk, in danger, when people are tailgating.
“So we need there to be an appropriate response and a £1,000 fine or five-year football banning order I think will be a great deterrent.”
Tailgating is when fans get through stadium turnstiles by walking closely behind ticket holders. There was previously no specific legal penalties for attending a football game without a ticket.
The Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act will also make it illegal to knowingly try to enter a match with forged tickets, passes and accreditation documents, as well as by pretending to be a member of a stadium or the playing staff.
It follows an independent review of the UEFA European Championship final held at Wembley in north London on July 11, 2021.
Casey identified more than 20 “near misses” that could have resulted in serious injury or death as a result of ticketless individuals trying to gain entry, and in some cases succeeding, for the England v Italy match.
Around 100,000 people travelled to Wembley for the final “of which approximately 2,000 gained entry to the stadium without tickets”, with 17 mass breaches of the gates in the 90 minutes before kick-off until the penalty shootout.
The new laws also come after problems encountered by Liverpool supporters during their Champions League final against Real Madrid in Paris, France, in 2022.
In that instance, authorities were found to be at fault for major problems around the Stade de France despite their attempts to pin the blame on Liverpool supporters.
Several fans were denied entry despite having legitimate tickets for the match, while police also used pepper spray and tear gas.
Manchester City will play Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. – BERNAMA-PA MEDIA/dpa
