The 2020-21 season of football, which was played behind closed doors, has taught us those fans are the heartbeat of the sport. Their chants, banter, and even at times boos make the stadium come alive. The passion and intensity with which they support their teams make the game complete. However, sometimes the passion runs wild and leads to fans committing deeds or acts that violate the social norms. A perfect example of this came during the Euro 2020 tournament in which 90 football-related arrests were made during England’s home matches.
England played six out of seven matches at Wembley, and according to the figures, 39 arrests were made during the Italy game, while 28 were made during the Scotland match and 18 at the semi-final against Denmark. There were six other arrests made during the tournament, and all six of them happened during the semi-final match between Spain and Italy.
The unrest caused during Italy vs England match was so intense, that next week a verdict will be announced on whether England will play their remaining home games behind closed doors. As the football association cannot allow the unrest to keep reoccurring during the games. For example, on July 11, during the final of Euro 2020, some fans fought with the steward to break into the Wembley stadium.
According to BBC’s report, the arrest rate during the pandemic fell from 93% to 7%. On the 1st of August, a total of 1359 banning orders were forced upon the fans. Birmingham city’s 54 being the highest total for a club, while Liverpool’s 44 was the highest in Premier League.
