Entering Football Grounds Without a Ticket Now a Criminal Offence in England and Wales
Sneaking into a football match without a ticket has become a criminal offence in England and Wales, with the new law timed to take effect before Sunday's Carabao Cup final between Arsenal and Manchester City at Wembley.
Anyone caught tailgating, which is following legitimate ticket-holders through turnstiles, or forcing their way into a stadium now faces a football banning order of up to five years and a fine of up to £1,000. It will also be illegal to try to gain entry using forged tickets, fake passes or accreditation, or by posing as stadium or playing staff.
Until now, there was no specific criminal penalty for entering a match without a ticket. Police could only attempt to charge offenders with suspected fraud, which rarely leads to prosecution. At last year's Carabao Cup final, 69 arrests were made, with the majority of the arrests being for trying to get into Wembley without a ticket, but no charges followed.
The Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act was introduced as a direct response to the disorder at the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy in July 2021, when around 2,000 fans forced their way in, causing 17 mass breaches of disabled access gates and emergency fire exits. An independent review led by Baroness Louise Casey found the chaos "jeopardised the lives of legitimate supporters and staff" and could have been fatal. She also found that a further group of around 6,000 ticketless fans had been preparing to storm the stadium had England won the match.
The legislation was brought in through a private member's bill that was introduced by Linsey Farnsworth, Labour MP for Amber Valley. With England and Wales set to co-host the Euro 2028 alongside Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, the government said it wanted the legal framework in place well ahead of that tournament.
Baroness Casey has welcomed the new legislation. "Forcing your way into a football match without a ticket isn't harmless," she said. "It jeopardises the safety of legitimate fans and staff. Making tailgating a criminal offence makes it clear that this behaviour is dangerous, won't be tolerated and those who do it will face consequences."
Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said the law gives police the tools that they need to prevent a repeat of the Wembley scenes. "Football fans should be able to enjoy the game without feeling unsafe or threatened. We're giving the police the tools they need to ensure the chaos we saw at Wembley five years ago never happens again. Anyone who endangers others by forcing their way into stadiums faces serious consequences."
