UK lawmakers want punishment for unlawfully entering matches،
British MPs are calling for the creation of a new criminal offense for illegally attending a football match, as well as better collaboration between British and foreign police to improve security at sporting events at home and abroad.
The Culture, Media and Sport Committee's report 'Security at major sporting events', published on Thursday, was made public following its investigation into fan security at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley and on the chaotic scenes involving Liverpool fans during the 2022 Champions League final.
“Fans who flock to festive events at this time of year should be able to spend time with family and friends on sports grounds that are safe, inclusive and welcoming environments,” said the committee chair. , Caroline Dinenage.
“Unfortunately, the rise in disorder in football after the pandemic and the near-disasters at Wembley and Paris have shown that there is much to be done to keep everyone safe.”
The report says the treatment of Liverpool fans by French authorities during the Champions League final was 'disgraceful' and that the attitude of foreign police forces towards British football fans was a major contributory factor to chaos.
Dinenage said tailgating and other forms of unauthorized entry into grounds were a growing problem at high-profile matches and put security at risk due to overcrowding.
“Those involved need to know they will face consequences and the government should support legislation to ensure they can be banned,” she said.
The committee said the lack of separate criminal sanctions including the use of football banning orders allowed unauthorized entry to go unchallenged, and it called on the government to pass the Unauthorized Entry Bill. football matches.
Other recommendations included that sporting bodies should increase their financial contribution to fan safety outside stadiums and that the government should introduce a centralized system for reporting discrimination and anti-social behavior at matches.
