Fans with banning orders cannot attend Euro 2024

More than 1,600 fans with banning orders will be stopped from going to tournament

More than 1,600 football fans across England and Wales with football banning orders are being told to hand in their passports to stop them going to Euro 2024 in Germany.

Fans will have to surrender their UK passports from 4 June until the tournament ends on 14 July.

“Violence, abuse, and disorder have no place in the game we love,” said Policing Minister Chris Philp.

Severe failure to comply could result in up to six months in prison.

Philp added: “The vast majority of fans are law-abiding, but we will have zero tolerance for those who disrupt this incredible event.

“These measures will ensure true football fans can travel to the tournament safely and prevent hooligans from committing these crimes abroad.”

The Euros take place from 14 June to 14 July.

Those who fail to comply or attempt to travel to Germany, or surrounding countries, will face a hefty fine with no limit or a prison sentence.

Police will also have additional powers “to intercept known troublemakers likely to cause further disruption” and those individuals “will face an immediate banning order hearing in court within 24 hours”.

More than 1,300 fans were banned from going to Qatar for the 2022 Fifa World Cup, the last major men’s football tournament.

The number of arrests at football matches in England and Wales has reached a nine-year high, according to Home Office figures released in September.

Original article published 26.03.2024 on the BBC Sport website.

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