Football Association clamps down on England fans with lifetime bans
The Football Association has stepped up its fight against boorish fans by handing out lifetime bans for the first time after two supporters club members made Nazi gestures in Germany.
Before March’s friendly in Dortmund, some supporters booed the German national anthem and sung songs referring to the First and Second World Wars.
In all, 27 members have had their England Supporters Travel Club membership suspended for varying lengths of time, with six handed written warnings and another case still pending.
FA chairman Greg Clarke condemned the „inappropriate, disrespectful and disappointing“ behaviour after the German friendly, with the governing body understood to be concerned about a new generation of fans behaving differently to the old maximum-risk Category C hooligans.
Actions against such fans have been welcomed by many members, with around 100 sending positive responses within an hour of the ESTC’s request for information.
The body is the only way to obtain tickets for the away end at England matches, with tickets required to be collected in the host city before the game.
Factors such as the team’s on-field success and locations of matches means the ESTC membership is at its lowest in a long time, although the 8,000 members are expected to swell ahead of next year’s World Cup in Russia.
All applicants are vetted upon application and the number joining has increased ahead of the trips to Germany and Scotland.
England have an allocation of 4,761 for Saturday’s trip to Hampden Park, where the FA is introducing new measures in a bid to curb anti-social behaviour.
Supporters have been warned about their behaviour ahead of the match in Glasgow, where Scottish police will strictly impose a ban on drinking in open spaces.
Concerns have been raised over the 5pm kick-off, while the Scottish FA has announced a „wide range of measures will be implemented as part of an enhanced security operation“ following the recent terrorism atrocities in Manchester and London.