Crowd trouble at EFL fixtures ‘illustrate the problem of disorder at all levels’

Crowd trouble at English Football League games at the weekend “illustrate the problem of disorder at all levels of the game”, a leading police official has said.

The EFL issued a statement on Sunday stressing that anti-social behaviour is “unacceptable” and that offenders can expect to be dealt with by police.

Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s football policing lead, has already called for an urgent meeting with the English game’s authorities to discuss the increase in disorder at matches.

There is no update over the proposed meeting, but Roberts said events at Crewe, Millwall and Wycombe had strengthened police concerns about crowd behaviour.

“The events at the weekend which took place in the Football League simply reinforce the concerns we have been raising and illustrate the problem of disorder at all levels of the game,” said Chief Constable Roberts.

MK Dons’ win at Wycombe saw supporters aim an offensive chant at Chairboys striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, which led to the game being briefly stopped and that decision applauded by his manager Gareth Ainsworth.

There was also a lengthy delay in Rotherham’s win at Crewe after a linesman was hit by an object, which appeared to have been thrown from the away fans section, and a flare was thrown onto the pitch during West Brom’s defeat at Millwall.

The EFL released a statement on Sunday: “Following multiple incidents of inappropriate and reckless crowd behaviour on Saturday, the EFL will work with the relevant authorities and respective clubs to ensure those responsible are held to account.

“Any form of anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and whilst these instances only represent a very small section of people attending matches, the mindless few who choose to behave in this way are only demonstrating a complete lack of respect for the clubs they claim to support.

“Our message is simple – those intent on causing trouble are not welcome at our matches and we ask you to ‘Stay Away’.

“Anyone found to be behaving offensively at a football match can expect to be dealt with by the police and the club, who will continue to work closely with supporter groups to address the causes of violence from individual fans and will always support prosecutions when that is the appropriate course of action to take.

“We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with our clubs, safety advisory groups and local police forces to ensure security operations in place are robust and effective, whilst also providing support when any incidents do occur.”

The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) recently released figures which showed a 36 per cent rise in disorder in the first half of this season compared to the same period in the 2019-20 campaign.

That was before further incidents in the Premier League which included objects aimed at Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger against Tottenham, and Everton fans throwing plastic bottles at Aston Villa defenders Lucas Digne and Matty Cash.