A man has received a ban from attending football matches following what authorities have described as the primary charge for tailgating at a football game.
Benjamin Bailey, residing in Oldham, Greater Manchester, was apprehended during the Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on March 22. He was charged with tailgating for entering the stadium without a valid ticket.
The 27-year-old confessed to the offense at Willesden Magistrates’ Court last Friday. Subsequently, he was issued a three-year football banning order and fined £230 by the HM Courts & Tribunals Service.
This prosecution is believed to be the inaugural of its kind since tailgating, which involves non-ticket holders discreetly following paying attendees through turnstiles to access games, was classified as a criminal offense.
Individuals convicted of tailgating across England and Wales may face a football banning order of up to five years and a fine of up to £1,000.
The criminal offense was implemented before the Carabao Cup final, five years subsequent to a situation where numerous ticketless fans invaded the same stadium ahead of the Euro 2020 final.
The legislation was enacted following severe disturbances during the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy, where lives were endangered as fans broke into the stadium, as revealed in a subsequent review by Baroness Louise Casey.
Previously, there were no specific legal consequences for attending a football match without a ticket, a situation rectified by the Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act. This act also prohibits the intentional use of forged tickets, passes, or accreditation documents to gain entry, as well as pretending to be a member of the stadium or playing staff.
The legislation was a response to an independent review of the Uefa European Championship final held at Wembley in north London on July 11, 2021. Baroness Casey highlighted over 20 “near misses” that could have resulted in severe injuries or fatalities due to ticketless individuals attempting to access the England vs. Italy match, succeeding in some instances.
Approximately 100,000 individuals traveled to Wembley for the final, with about 2,000 managing to enter the stadium without tickets, including 17 major breaches of security in the 90 minutes before the match began.
Baroness Casey attributed blame for the incident to “individuals without tickets,” labeling it a “national shame” with the potential for fatalities or life-altering injuries for many in attendance. She emphasized that the responsibility for endangering human lives rested with the individuals without tickets, predominantly men, who attacked the stadium on that significant football day.
