Fans drinking alcohol risks sending football back to 1980s, club owner warns
Allowing supporters to drink alcohol on the terraces would be “short-sighted” and “send football back to the depths of the ‘80s”, Andy Burnham has been warned. The Prime Minister has said he wants to end the “discrimination” against football fans, who are banned from drinking pitchside when fans of rugby and cricket are permitted to. [...]
A prominent club owner has warned that allowing supporters to drink alcohol on the terraces could "send football back to the depths of the '80s," resurrecting the era of hooliganism and antisocial behavior. Andy Burnham, a former Mayor of Manchester and Prime Minister, has called for an end to the "discrimination" against football fans who are currently banned from drinking on the pitchside while fans of other sports can partake.
The 41-year ban, introduced to combat hooliganism, has been gradually phased in at women's football matches but Dorking Wanderers owner Marc White believes Burnham's proposal is ill-advised. White argues that increasing alcohol sales would ultimately harm the sport, citing the rise in antisocial behavior and overall crowd size as reasons to maintain the current regulations.
The UK Football Policing Unit has also cautioned against making such fundamental changes without first examining the evidence and consulting with experts in the field. Burnham maintains his stance, stating that he sees no fairness in treating fans from different sports differently and remains steadfast in his position.
Written by urgent.news from City AM's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
