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Football arrests 'highest in years' & disorder on the rise - police

Arrests at football matches across the top five English leagues are at their highest levels in years, with fan disorder "getting worse", according to the UK's football policing lead.

More trouble, more arrests, fewer games - the key stats

  • Data collected from 1 July to 31 December 2021 from English domestic competitions only and compared to same six-month period for season 2019-20 - the last one without restrictions pre-pandemic
  • 802 football related arrests so far this season - an increase in 47% from 547 arrests in 2019-20 - the highest number of arrests since UKFPU started collating in season 2015-16
  • Incidents of disorder reported at almost half (48%) of all games across Premier League, EFL and National League - compared to 34% in season 19-20
  • There were 759 reported incidents including flares, missiles and hate crime - up 36% from 560 in 19-20
  • 210 incidents were involving young supporters under the age of 25, up from 154 in 19-20. The five year average of incidents involving under 25 was 168
  • That's despite fewer games this season (1,581) due to postponements, than in 19-20 (1,670)
  • The biggest increase in reported incidents of disorder is in the Championship and National league. Up 58% in Championship and 56% in national league from 2019-20
  • Police presence at 66% of football matches across top 5 English divisions, compared to 46% of games in 19-20.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/60056492
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Comments

  • I've definitely noticed a shift in the crowd this season, first game of the season against Sheff Weds there was quite a few fights that i've not really experienced at charlton before. People seem to be a lot more toxic at the moment too in the stands
  • Backs up what I was saying the other day
  • Could covid have a lot to do with the issue ? .. 'locked down' and frustrated for months allied to the easy availability of booze and illegal drugs, are people with a short fuse getting pissed up and/or stoned and then letting off steam and 'misbehaving far too easily ? .. plus two more issues i m o .. the preening and showboating of goalscorers in front of opposition fans as well as high expectations and subsequent disappointment when teams fail to deliver ? 
  • Yet another league table that Charlton are "meh" in 

    See the source image
  • Could covid have a lot to do with the issue ? .. 'locked down' and frustrated for months allied to the easy availability of booze and illegal drugs, are people with a short fuse getting pissed up and/or stoned and then letting off steam and 'misbehaving far too easily ? .. plus two more issues i m o .. the preening and showboating of goalscorers in front of opposition fans as well as high expectations and subsequent disappointment when teams fail to deliver ? 
    Neither of which are new and nor do they excuse the bad behaviour. If you really can't control yourself when a player gives it large, or your expectations are that great that failing to meet them leads to criminal behaviour... You should probably rethink actually going to football honestly.

    The lockdown and increasing use of various substances probably does lead at least in part to the lack of control for both though. 
  • Could always be the policing is less tolerant now. Maybe things that would in the past have led to a word, or ejection from the ground are now leading to arrests. 
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  • Yes - definitely an ‘edge’ has returned - I think the restrictions on people over last 2 years have played a big part in this
    This and significant drug taking. Definitely think that taking powder has become more common in recent years. People don’t even try to hide it anymore, as seen common to take it in public spaces instead of in the bogs
    Not sure I agree with this - people are just as likely to be dicks with 10 beers in them as they are after a couple of lines of Bolivian marching powder. 

    The taking it in public maybe suggests it is more prevalent but it’s probably just that drug users 20 years ago had the sense to lock the cubicle door! 
  • thenewbie said:
    Could covid have a lot to do with the issue ? .. 'locked down' and frustrated for months allied to the easy availability of booze and illegal drugs, are people with a short fuse getting pissed up and/or stoned and then letting off steam and 'misbehaving far too easily ? .. plus two more issues i m o .. the preening and showboating of goalscorers in front of opposition fans as well as high expectations and subsequent disappointment when teams fail to deliver ? 
    Neither of which are new and nor do they excuse the bad behaviour. If you really can't control yourself when a player gives it large, or your expectations are that great that failing to meet them leads to criminal behaviour... You should probably rethink actually going to football honestly.

    The lockdown and increasing use of various substances probably does lead at least in part to the lack of control for both though. 
    I may be wrong but I seem to remember back in the 80s players were banned from provoking their opposition’s fans by celebrating in front of them. Weren’t clubs fined or something?
  • edited January 2022
    .
  • JamesSeed said:
    thenewbie said:
    Could covid have a lot to do with the issue ? .. 'locked down' and frustrated for months allied to the easy availability of booze and illegal drugs, are people with a short fuse getting pissed up and/or stoned and then letting off steam and 'misbehaving far too easily ? .. plus two more issues i m o .. the preening and showboating of goalscorers in front of opposition fans as well as high expectations and subsequent disappointment when teams fail to deliver ? 
    Neither of which are new and nor do they excuse the bad behaviour. If you really can't control yourself when a player gives it large, or your expectations are that great that failing to meet them leads to criminal behaviour... You should probably rethink actually going to football honestly.

    The lockdown and increasing use of various substances probably does lead at least in part to the lack of control for both though. 
    I may be wrong but I seem to remember back in the 80s players were banned from provoking their opposition’s fans by celebrating in front of them. Weren’t clubs fined or something?
    Oh I'm not saying that they should do it, it's definitely part of the issue and definitely arsehole behaviour - celebrate with your own team/fans.

    But I also don't think it excuses violence/vandalism by the fans. 
  • edited January 2022
    Kips said:
    Definitely an increase in this type of behaviour at CAFC. I'd really like to see our club on the front front in tackling this.

    For example the idiot who threw a seat at a steward at the Plymouth home game. They should never be allowed back in The Valley, yet I never heard anything from the club about this.
    You won’t unless you write something about him he considered malicious on here. 😉
  • I think it's not just a football problem at the moment but a societal one. Two years of pandemic has left it's mark on the mental health of a lot of people and football has always been somewhere for men to vent their weeks frustrations. Some are obviously taking it too far.
  • Is it that coke is cheaper now than back in the day. Makes it more likely to be used on an away day trip ? 
  • I think covid/lockdown has exacerbated the situation but it definitely felt like it had been brewing before that. I wonder if it's just a symptom of wider social issues, we see a society today more divided, more tribal and with more hate.
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  • MrOneLung said:
    Is it that coke is cheaper now than back in the day. Makes it more likely to be used on an away day trip ? 
    No.
    Its apparently more socially acceptable 🤷‍♀️
  • edited January 2022
    MrOneLung said:
    Is it that coke is cheaper now than back in the day. Makes it more likely to be used on an away day trip ? 
    No.
    Its apparently more socially acceptable 🤷‍♀️
    It’s a nasty drug though. Remember when fans started taking ecstasy? Seemed to calm things down for a time. 
  • Could always be the policing is less tolerant now. Maybe things that would in the past have led to a word, or ejection from the ground are now leading to arrests. 
    There’s something in this.
    Policing cuts inevitably led to those whose sole job it was to police football at specific grounds were pulled away & it became centralised. 
    You’ll see less officers in & around the grounds that you recognise. You may still see ones you know on away days but that’s it. And on away days, invariably they won’t be able to ‘just have a word’ because it’s not their force.

    But it isn’t the only thing.
    Its a collection of everything that’s been mentioned.
    An awful recipe that won’t change until something happens.
    Its always been that way.
  • I blame the Tories.
  • JamesSeed said:
    MrOneLung said:
    Is it that coke is cheaper now than back in the day. Makes it more likely to be used on an away day trip ? 
    No.
    Its apparently more socially acceptable 🤷‍♀️
    It’s a nasty drug though. 
    Aye.
    But even in my sleepy fishing village it’s rife 😞
  • edited January 2022
    MrOneLung said:
    Is it that coke is cheaper now than back in the day. Makes it more likely to be used on an away day trip ? 

    I think it’s too easy to blame drug taking or alcohol consumption. If you’re a dickhead then you’re a dickhead with or without chemical assistance. I know lots of people who went to away days 10, 15, 20 years ago who would have a very good drink and maybe some other stuff but that wasn’t because they wanted to be aggressive and act like an idiot - it was because they enjoyed that type of thing and I guess it also helped to soften the pain of how shit the football often was. 

    We just seem to have a few more dickheads supporting us these days? 
  • My drug of choice is alcohol and I've never tried anything else - prefer to know what I'm taking in a bottle of Tesco's Pinot rather than something that could contain whatever.
    Anyway, not having experienced the white powder, what does it do that would lead to violence? I assumed drugs were meant to make you feel good!
  • After experiencing the orange flavoured fizz from a junior aspirin in my younger days I’ve never wanted “enhance” life’s routine artificially, it took me weeks to come down 🤷‍♂️
  • Pitch invasions and plastic bottles being thrown on the pitch (and indeed at players) seem to be endemic at the moment.

    Far more frequent than before lockdown, when Naby got his brilliant last  minute equaliser at QPR I don't remember a pitch invasion, whereas we get one now for an equaliser at Cheltenham
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