UK prime minister Andy Burnham has spoken out about football fans facing “discrimination” because they cannot drink alcohol in the stands, signalling that he may change the law. The ban was hastily introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government in 1985 to crack down on football violence, which had blighted the domestic and national games for several decades. Excessive alcohol consumption was seen by the authorities as a significant factor in disorder.
The violence at the infamous 1985 FA Cup match between Luton Town and Millwall in March 1985, along with the Heysel Stadium disaster, hastened the political and legal push for tougher measures to curb trouble. These included the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985, which banned alcohol from football grounds in England and Wales. Alcohol had already been banned in Scottish football grounds since 1981.
After pressure from clubs, the 1985 Act was amended the following year by the Public Order Act 1986 to ease the rules on alcohol being served in executive boxes and boardrooms. Football fans in England and Wales can currently consume alcohol at men’s football matches in areas of stadiums that do not have a direct view of the pitch. By Colin Brown and Robert Armstrong 15 March 1985 The prime minister yesterday invited officials of the Football Association to a meeting to discuss countermeasures against hooliganism at grounds.
Tougher court penalties, a ban on alcohol at grounds, and discipline for ‘offending’ clubs are likely to be high on her agenda after the riots which followed the Luton-Millwall FA Cup tie on Wednesday night. The home secretary, Mr Leon Brittan, facing Opposition criticism for failing to police the match at Luton adequately, yesterday called for a report by the Bedordshire chief constable, Mr Andrew Sloan, to be on his desk by this morning, and the sports minister, Mr Neil Macfarlane, told MPs in the Commons that he had asked the FA for a report within a week. He wants to know what action the FA intends to take to deal with clubs with supporters who have a history of violence.
Mr Macfarlane believes that violent behaviour by football fans is predominantly a London problem. In an interview at the Department of the Environment he said that the large number of league clubs in the south-east created a rivalry which sometimes broke into open violence among fans. His remarks followed a fact-finding meeting with Mr David Pleat, the Luton manager, and Tony Shaw, the Millwall chief executive, at the DoE.
The minister said he had been given a detailed account of events leading up to the riot at Luton’s Kenilworth Road stand after the home side won the sixth round tie 1-0. The minister expressed concern about the possibility of violence at tomorrow’s games between Brentford and Millwall at Griffin Park and Watford and Chelsea at Vicarage Road. He said the police would need to exercise extra vigilance.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
