A 27-year-old man from Oldham has become the first person to be charged and convicted under new legislation targeting 'tailgating' at football matches, following the Carabao Cup final at Wembley. Benjamin Bailey admitted the offence at Willesden Magistrates' Court on Friday and was handed a three-year football banning order along with a £230 fine.
Tailgating, which involves entering a stadium without a ticket by closely following a ticket holder through the turnstiles, was made a criminal offence under the Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act. The legislation was introduced after the disorder at the Euro 2020 final, when thousands of ticketless fans stormed Wembley Stadium, putting lives at risk.
Police said this was the first charge brought under the new law. Bailey was arrested at the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal on March 22. Offenders convicted of tailgating face a football banning order of up to five years and a fine of up to £1,000.
The new Act also makes it illegal to knowingly attempt to enter a match with forged tickets, passes or accreditation documents, or by impersonating stadium or playing staff. An independent review by Baroness Louise Casey found that around 2,000 people gained entry without tickets for the Euro 2020 final, with 17 mass breaches of gates.
