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Premier League on Wednesday announced that fans who take part in anti-social and criminal behaviours at League stadiums will be handed a minimum one-year ban by the clubs.
The decision was taken at a Premier League Shareholders’ Meeting on Wednesday as part of measures to tackle increased anti-social behavior at matches wherein top flights clubs unanimously agreed to introduce minimum-length bans. The sanction will be implemented with immediate effect, the league said.
The anti-social behaviour included running onto the field or using objects like smoke bombs and pyrotechnics. Premier League also said that these bans could also be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in such activities. The ban is applicable to home and away matches.
Notably, the Premier League, the FA and the EFL introduced new measures and stronger sanctions ahead of this season to address fan behaviour issues at matches. The League had announced in July that it will be taking strict action against the offenders.
“From the start of Season 2022/23, all identified offenders will be reported by clubs to the police and prosecution could result in a permanent criminal record, which may affect their employment and education, and could result in a prison sentence. The FA will also be enforcing a tougher charging and sanctioning policy for clubs, which will reinforce these measures,” PL had said in its statement.
“Furthermore, anyone who enters the pitch and those identified carrying or using pyrotechnics or smoke bombs will now receive an automatic club ban. These bans could also be extended to accompanying parents or guardians of children who take part in these activities.”
Apart from handing bans, PL will also be taking other measures that include improved searching of individuals entering grounds, increased use of sniffer dogs, and working with social media platforms to quickly remove fan videos of illegal behavior.