Nearly 200 Footie Hooligans Banned Ahead of Euros 2024
With the Euros just weeks away, the Met Police have slapped nearly 200 football fans with banning orders—the highest ever in a single season. The Metropolitan Police’s football policing unit cracked down hard last year, sending a clear message: troublemakers won’t be welcome at this summer’s tournament.
Passports Seized to Stop Travel to Germany
Most of those banned must hand over their passports, effectively grounding them from travelling to Germany for the Euros. Many face additional restrictions, like being barred from entering stadium areas or certain towns on match days, putting a major halt to their mischief both at home and abroad.
Met’s Blitz on Disorder and Nasty Offences
- April alone saw 79 banning orders issued to keep London’s matches safe.
- 52 bans were handed out for public order offences, including chants that sparked outrage and racial abuse.
- 51 tough three-year bans were imposed for possession of Class A drugs among fans.
- 28 bans for assault and 48 for football-related misdemeanors like throwing missiles and flares.
Football Policing Boss Praises Crackdown
“This has been a brilliant effort from the football policing unit to secure the banning orders and prevent serious disorder taking place in our communities on matchday,” said Chief Inspector Pete Dearden, head of football policing at the Met.
“Most of our officers are fans themselves. We get the passion, but our priority is making sure matches in London are safe for everyone.”
Dearden added, “The Euros will be huge, with fans flooding in from London to support England. Our dedicated team has worked closely with clubs to ban troublemakers from causing chaos domestically—so they can’t wreck the tournament abroad.”
