CARVALHAL AND ARSENE SUPPORT SAFE STANDING

THE campaign for safe standing gathered fresh momentum yesterday, as Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger and his Swansea counterpart Carlos Carvalhal (below) added their support to the idea. ‘The atmosphere is much better when people stand,’ Wenger said. ‘If the safety is right then it has my 100 per cent backing.’ Carvalhal said: ‘It’s a nice idea. It’s back to the culture of the past — the traditional English games.’ The Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) last night accused sports minister Tracey Crouch of ‘declaring war on fans’ by opposing safe standing. ‘Forcing fans to sit down at all-seater stadiums doesn’t work,’ added FSF spokesman Peter Daykin. A petition which requires 100,000 votes to force a parliamentary debate has hit 73,000 signatures. BRADLEY WOOD has been banned from football until 2024 after intentionally getting booked during Lincoln City’s FA Cup run last year. An FA tribunal ruled Wood, 26, ‘influenced a football betting market’ by earning two yellow cards against Ipswich and Burnley. CRYSTAL PALACE’S proposals for a £100million expansion of Selhurst Park were approved by Croydon Council last night. Palace plan to redevelop the Main Stand, raising overall capacity from 24,000 to 36,000.