Fans at professional British soccer games who run onto the field or use pyrotechnics or smoke bombs will face an automatic ban from football clubs, according to regulations announced Monday.
The new regulations come after multiple fans invaded the fields of the stadiums to celebrate titles, promotions in the leagues, or club survivals at the end of the season. Prior to the events of last season, the use of smoke bombs and pyrotechnics was a rare occurrence at sporting events in England, according to Reuters.
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Clubs will report those who violate the bans to law enforcement beginning with the start of the new season in August, per the announcement from England’s Premier League, Football League, and Football Association. The ban could also incorporate parents and guardians of children who participate in such activities.
“The rise in anti-social behavior that we saw in stadiums at the end of last season was entirely unacceptable and put people’s safety at risk,” Mark Bullingham, the Football Association’s CEO, said in the release. “Together, English football has introduced new measures and stronger sanctions to send out a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of illegal and dangerous behavior.”
Among the other measures listed were the use of sniffer dogs, working with social media platforms to crack down on videos of illegal behavior, and urging the government to reform regulations to restrict the supply of pyrotechnics and smoke bombs.
The Football Supporters Association supports the actions, according to the press release, which acknowledged that even though the actions were usually celebratory, they were still illegal and would be treated as such.
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“We are contacted by supporters on a fairly regular basis who have been caught jumping on the pitch, or with pyro in the stands, and without exception, they regret doing it,” FSA CEO Kevin Miles said. “Whether they had positive intentions or not is irrelevant in the eyes of the law — pyro and pitch incursions are illegal. You will be prosecuted, and you will be banned by your club.”
The new season is set to begin Aug. 5 with a match between Crystal Palace and Arsenal, according to Sky Sports.
