Over the summer, several football fans were in the news relating to their football banning orders. These orders prevented thousands of football fans in England and Scotland from travelling to Euro 2024 this summer and they have left many people wondering and asking ‘What is a football banning order?'.
What is a football banning order?
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A football banning order is effectively an order made by a court that bans an individual from attending football matches in the United Kingdom and abroad. These orders are usually handed out at Magistrates' Courts and typically follow an arrest for violence at a football match.
The maximum amount of time that someone can receive a football banning order is ten years. This type of banning order is typically handed out if the person in question has committed a crime severe enough for imprisonment.
The minimum ban that someone can be given is three years.
How do you get a football banning order?
Engaging in the following activity is likely to land you with a football banning order if you are reported and/or caught by the police.
- Having alcohol or being excessively drunk while entering a football ground.
- Threatening violent behaviour to another person or property.
- Committing violent behaviour at a football match.
- Carrying a weapon into the ground.
- Throwing a missile at a football match, either onto the pitch or at a fellow supporter.
- Engaging in racist chanting.
- Engaging in tragedy chanting.
- Entering the playing area.
🚨| NEWS: Three Arsenal supporters, part of the Ashburton Army have each received a three-year football banning order for tragedy chanting relating to the Hillsborough disaster during the club’s FA Cup third round defeat to Liverpool in January.
[@IsaanKhan_] pic.twitter.com/TSGFXGakAO
— Transfer Sector (@TransferSector) March 21, 2024
How are football banning orders enforced?
It's one thing issuing a football banning order, it's another thing altogether enforcing them. There are several things that football clubs and authorities do to ensure that individuals with football banning orders can't enter football stadiums. These include:
- Preventing individuals from going to specific areas for a period that spans from two hours before kick-off to two hours after the final whistle. This can include boarding public transport.
- Forcing individuals to report to a police station before certain matches.
- Forcing individuals to surrender their passports before big international football matches.
Can you get a football banning order overturned?
Once a football banning order has been issued, it is very difficult and complicated for it to be overturned. Fans are only eligible to apply for the removal of their banning order once two third of the ban has been served. So, fans who have been given a three-year ban will need to serve at least two years before they can ask for its removal.
In order to be successful with this request, exemplary behaviour will be needed over the course of the first two years. Usually, if it's a first offence and someone's character has been good then the banning order will be cut early.