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Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act 2026

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  • Fortune 82nd Minute
    Fortune 82nd Minute Posts: 8,860
    edited 9:15AM
    Tailgating is a big problem at some grounds. Sorry but it needs to be tackled.

    True story about what happened to the supervisor of a stewarding team on the turnstiles at Arsenal told to me by one of my colleagues on the stewarding circuit.

    He saw two people - father & son as it turned out - coming through on one ticket. He went over to have a word and immediately just got violently assaulted by the pair. 

    Ridiculous thing is the area is under CCTV coverage but even that didn't worry the pair. Fortunately it didn't take the police long to locate them and they both got nicked.

    Sadly so many people can't behave today. Until they do, don't be surprised if the majority continue to be inconvenienced by the minority.
  • SporadicAddick
    SporadicAddick Posts: 7,231
    let's not worry about all the other shit going on in the world, cities are becomming a cesspit, violent crime continues to rise etc
    But it's not though is it, you believe that as it fits your agenda and you probably read the Daily Mail.
    That’s your mum that is.
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 29,221
    So I decided to look up the law - the Football (Offences) Act 1991. (Link)

    Apparently it's an offence to throw "anything" at a football match "without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove)."

    So you're at a football match and you lob a sweet along to your mate in the same row you can potentially get nicked (if all the copper saw was you throwing something) and the onus is on you to prove what you did was lawful. Do the same thing anywhere else in the country and the onus is on the Old Bill to prove what you did was unlawful. Nice. 

    I'm also struggling to think and cast my mind back why these laws were considered needed in the first place. Surely throwing missiles and "racialist" chanting were already offences at the time anyway?  
  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 29,221
    Also noticed that there's nothing in the above about all the non-drinking rules at football, so have found that too which is in a different piece of legislation - the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985. (Link)

    Another cracking read. Amazing stuff really. 
  • blackpool72
    blackpool72 Posts: 24,225
    As far as im concerned if my mate has paid for his seat and cant go and gives it to someone else there's fuck all wrong with it. 
    Totally agree. 
    I rarely attend midweek games and when I can't go i give my season ticket to a mate 
  • R0TW
    R0TW Posts: 1,855
    Thank god they have introduced this rule.
    We have had issues all season with players doing this, hence the reason we are on player number 73.
  • iaitch
    iaitch Posts: 10,502
    Off_it said:
    So I decided to look up the law - the Football (Offences) Act 1991. (Link)

    Apparently it's an offence to throw "anything" at a football match "without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove)."

    So you're at a football match and you lob a sweet along to your mate in the same row you can potentially get nicked (if all the copper saw was you throwing something) and the onus is on you to prove what you did was lawful. Do the same thing anywhere else in the country and the onus is on the Old Bill to prove what you did was unlawful. Nice. 

    I'm also struggling to think and cast my mind back why these laws were considered needed in the first place. Surely throwing missiles and "racialist" chanting were already offences at the time anyway?  
    Looking forward to seeing every player nicked who takes a throw in.
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,558
    iaitch said:
    Off_it said:
    So I decided to look up the law - the Football (Offences) Act 1991. (Link)

    Apparently it's an offence to throw "anything" at a football match "without lawful authority or lawful excuse (which shall be for him to prove)."

    So you're at a football match and you lob a sweet along to your mate in the same row you can potentially get nicked (if all the copper saw was you throwing something) and the onus is on you to prove what you did was lawful. Do the same thing anywhere else in the country and the onus is on the Old Bill to prove what you did was unlawful. Nice. 

    I'm also struggling to think and cast my mind back why these laws were considered needed in the first place. Surely throwing missiles and "racialist" chanting were already offences at the time anyway?  
    Looking forward to seeing every player nicked who takes a throw in.
    Or anyone throwing insults
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 13,262
    Will they be taking passports off of people who sneak into Glastonbury, or the cinema? Or is just football fans again
  • Starinnaddick
    Starinnaddick Posts: 4,477
    I was at Wembley for England v Italy and there were chaotic scenes as yobs rushed entrances to gain access without tickets. I imagine that is why this legislation has been brought in although it should apply to all venues imo. 

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  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,558
    Croydon said:
    Will they be taking passports off of people who sneak into Glastonbury, or the cinema? Or is just football fans again
    Honestly, it's just not fair to the honest, hard-working people who just want to get into football matches without paying.
  • R0TW
    R0TW Posts: 1,855
    I was at Wembley for England v Italy and there were chaotic scenes as yobs rushed entrances to gain access without tickets. I imagine that is why this legislation has been brought in although it should apply to all venues imo. 
    What, like Dover you mean?
  • Starinnaddick
    Starinnaddick Posts: 4,477
    R0TW said:
    I was at Wembley for England v Italy and there were chaotic scenes as yobs rushed entrances to gain access without tickets. I imagine that is why this legislation has been brought in although it should apply to all venues imo. 
    What, like Dover you mean?
    Not biting! 
  • soapy_jones
    soapy_jones Posts: 21,577
    Scousers must be fuming...
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 13,262
    edited 8:58AM
    Chizz said:
    Croydon said:
    Will they be taking passports off of people who sneak into Glastonbury, or the cinema? Or is just football fans again
    Honestly, it's just not fair to the honest, hard-working people who just want to get into football matches without paying.
    It should absolutely be a crime but why isn't anyone who bunks into Glastonbury banned from all festivals and gigs for 3 years? 

  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,558
    edited 9:08AM
    Croydon said:
    Chizz said:
    Croydon said:
    Will they be taking passports off of people who sneak into Glastonbury, or the cinema? Or is just football fans again
    Honestly, it's just not fair to the honest, hard-working people who just want to get into football matches without paying.
    It should absolutely be a crime but why isn't anyone who bunks into Glastonbury banned from all festivals and gigs for 3 years? 

    If you think that would solve the issue of Glastonbury having to suffer on income of only £68m per festival, then you should certainly raise it, perhaps with your MP. 

    However, with regards to football matches, I'm definitely not on the side of thieves who steal their way into football matches, depriving clubs of income and forcing prices up. 
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 13,262
    I'm not on their side either but what I am against is the way football fans are treated more harshly than almost every other comparable market. 


  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,558
    Croydon said:
    I'm not on their side either but what I am against is the way football fans are treated more harshly than almost every other comparable market. 


    In this case, football fans - that is, people who pay to watch their team play - are being treated very fairly indeed. By weeding out more of the thieves, it's better for the proper fans. 

    I'm on the side of people who pay for their tickets. 
  • Croydon
    Croydon Posts: 13,262
    edited 10:10AM
    Chizz said:
    Croydon said:
    I'm not on their side either but what I am against is the way football fans are treated more harshly than almost every other comparable market. 


    In this case, football fans - that is, people who pay to watch their team play - are being treated very fairly indeed. By weeding out more of the thieves, it's better for the proper fans. 

    I'm on the side of people who pay for their tickets. 

    Do you always converse like an AI powered customer services bot, or do you actually have a personality when away from your keyboard?
  • Chizz
    Chizz Posts: 28,558
    Croydon said:
    Chizz said:
    Croydon said:
    I'm not on their side either but what I am against is the way football fans are treated more harshly than almost every other comparable market. 


    In this case, football fans - that is, people who pay to watch their team play - are being treated very fairly indeed. By weeding out more of the thieves, it's better for the proper fans. 

    I'm on the side of people who pay for their tickets. 

    Do you always converse like an AI powered customer services bot, or do you actually have a personality when away from your keyboard?
    Definitely the former. If I had a personality, I'd keep changing the topic mid-thread. 

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  • Off_it
    Off_it Posts: 29,221
    Someone's looking for a row.

  • UEAAddick
    UEAAddick Posts: 520
    edited 11:14AM
    let's not worry about all the other shit going on in the world, cities are becomming a cesspit, violent crime continues to rise etc

    let's concentrate on football fans tailgating into a game
    Two truths can co exist and two policies made can co exist.

    Whilst I agree as some have said about football fans being made a scapegoat and have witnessed it first hand at games. 

    It's still OK to think that it is wrong for people to enter a game unlawfully, particularly as we saw with the Euros final in 2021, paying fans people being denied entry to the game or having delayed entry. Not only on grounds of safety but the fact that it impacts others. 

    Another pseudo intellectual myth I heard from people at the time about that was "it was working class people fighting back after being in lockdowns", yet missed the point it was working class people who had bought tickets they were impacting by entering illegally.
  • usetobunkin
    usetobunkin Posts: 2,388
    Can someone please contact usedtobunkinin
    Those heady days of my childhood!!,

  • soapboxsam
    soapboxsam Posts: 23,687
    Croydon said:
    Chizz said:
    Croydon said:
    Will they be taking passports off of people who sneak into Glastonbury, or the cinema? Or is just football fans again
    Honestly, it's just not fair to the honest, hard-working people who just want to get into football matches without paying.
    It should absolutely be a crime but why isn't anyone who bunks into Glastonbury banned from all festivals and gigs for 3 years? 


    Don't turn this thread into a song and dance !
  • guinnessaddick
    guinnessaddick Posts: 29,738
    edited 12:02PM
    Off_it said:
    Someone's looking for a row.

    It should state that on your ticket.