DRUGGED UP FOR THE CUP
1 in 10 of arrested fans high
Euro 2020 final is the most scared I’ve been at
a match
ALMOST one in ten arrested football fans are on drugs, the Sunday People has discovered.
A probe following a damning report into the mayhem at the Euro 2020 final revealed the worrying drug figures.
Baroness Casey’s report said hooligans snorted cocaine in front of kids at the game as thousands of ticketless yobs stormed Wembley stadium in July.
Latest figures show there were 19,599 arrests at league games in England and Wales from 2011 to 2021. Of those 1,517 were held on drugs offences – the vast majority of these for possession.
The true extent of drug-taking at matches is expected to be much higher as many public order arrests and banning orders are fuelled by Class As.
Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association, said: “The consequence of drug-taking at games is the real issue.
“We saw that at the Euros final, a game I was at, where drink and drugs played a big part in what happened. I’ve never been more frightened at a football match. We simply don’t want children to witness drug-taking at games”
A freedom of information request revealed there were 22,033 banning orders at English and Welsh grounds from 2011 to 2021, including for 7,563 Premier League fans and 6,953 to Championship team supporters.
Home Office figures also showed most arrests at grounds, 6,544, were for public disorder offences, with 1,756 for pitch invasions, 749 for throwing missiles at players and 251 for racist and indecent chanting.
Website freebets.com helped uncover the data and spokesman Tim Agnew said: “An increasing number of arrested fans appear to be high on substances other than alcohol.
“It is worrying for fans who want to go to games but not witness drug-taking.”
The Football Association was approached for a comment.