Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FOOTBALL FANS TOLD TO SHOW THEIR BRAS
‘Staff check underwire’
WOMEN were made to show their bras during security searches at a football match, a supporters’ group claims.
One fan said stewards wanted to feel her bra’s underwire, with a 70-year-old among those allegedly asked to lift up their tops.
Grimsby Town supporters group the Mariners Trust urged Stevenage FC to act on complaints from Saturday’s game.
One woman wrote on Facebook: “I was searched by a lady steward and was asked if I had a wired bra. She asked if she could feel it, to which I replied I’d rather not and she reluctantly let me in. Others were asked to lift their tops so she could look.”
Paul Savage, vice chair of the League Two club’s trust, said the checks were done by women in “full view” of male stewards and fans at Lamex Stadium.
He went on: “We’re aware of at least 10 people who were asked to show their bras and all of them were shocked. They asked a 70-year-old to lift up her top.
“It was a gross invasion of privacy and completely wrong. It is a football match. Being fully patted down is absolutely unacceptable.”
Stevenage FC general manager Bob Makin said the club had been “inundated” with calls. He added: “There are a large number of complaints and allegations we have to treat with the utmost seriousness. “We are investigating and will issue a formal response in writing.” Hertfordshire Constabulary said they were at the game but had not received allegations.