EFL threatens stadium closures if yobbery continues

PARTIAL and even full stadium closures could be imposed on clubs in the EFL next season as the league seeks to crack down on pitch invasions and other fan disorder.

Nottinghamshire Police arrested a 31-year-old man after Sheffield United’s Billy Sharp was assaulted at the City Ground at the end of Tuesday night’s Championship play-off semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

The league joined the players’ union, the Professional Footballers’ Association and Forest in condemning the incident.

Addressing the pitch invasion at Forest and similar scenes at other play-off and end-of-season games, the EFL said: “We recognise this lawlessness is being conducted by a small minority of individuals and that most people attending matches are a credit to their club.

“However, it is not acceptable for supporters to enter the field of play at any time.

“Therefore, over the summer we will consider what further measures are now at our disposal, including the potential use of capacity reductions or other similar mitigations.”

It is understood all options will be looked at in the close season, and ordering teams to play matches behind closed doors has not been ruled out.

The EFL statement added: “Supporters are reminded that it is against the law to enter the pitch at any time and could result in a club ban and criminal record.”

The PFA described the Sharp incident as a “senseless assault” and called for matchday security and fan disorder to be reviewed ahead of next season.

Fan disorder has been on the rise this season, with figures from the UKFPU released earlier this year showing a 36 per cent increase in reported incidents in the first half of the 2021-22 season compared to the same period in 2019-20.