A new law making it a criminal offence to enter a football match without a ticket comes into force across England and Wales this weekend, just ahead of Sunday’s Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley.
The legislation follows a review by Baroness Louise Casey, which highlighted that lives were put at risk when thousands of ticketless fans stormed Wembley during the Euro 2020 final. Offenders now face severe penalties, including a five-year football banning order and a fine of up to £1,000.
Baroness Casey’s findings had previously criticised weak sanctions for stadium breaches and specifically called for 'tailgating' – the act of entering a turnstile directly behind a legitimate ticket holder – to be criminalised. Policing minister Sarah Jones emphasised the importance of the new measures, stating that it provides officers with 'more armoury' to deter and respond to those disrespecting paying fans.
The new Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act also broadens its scope, making it illegal to knowingly attempt to enter a match using forged tickets, passes, or accreditation documents, or by falsely claiming to be stadium or playing staff. The impetus for this law stems from the independent review of the European Championship final held at Wembley on 11 July 2021, where approximately 2,000 gained entry without tickets and 17 mass breaches of the gates occurred.
