First fan charged with tailgating at football match hit with three-year banning order

A man has been given a football banning order for three years after becoming the first person charged with tailgating at a match, police have confirmed.

Benjamin Bailey, 27, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, admitted entering the Carabao Cup final at Wembley without a ticket.

Tailgating, which involves fans gaining entry to stadium turnstiles by walking closely behind ticket holders, became a criminal offence ahead of the recent final.

This measure was introduced five years after thousands of ticketless fans stormed the same stadium during the Euro 2020 final.

Mr Bailey was arrested at the Manchester City versus Arsenal final on March 22 and subsequently charged. He pleaded guilty to the offence at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday. The court imposed a three-year football banning order and a fine of £230, as confirmed by HM Courts & Tribunals Service.

Offenders across England and Wales convicted of tailgating face potential football banning orders of up to five years and fines reaching £1,000.

The legislation was introduced following serious disorder when England played Italy in the Euro 2020 final.

The measure was introduced five years after thousands of ticketless fans stormed the same stadium during the Euro 2020 final (Baroness Casey review/Handout/PA)

Lives were put at risk when supporters broke into Wembley Stadium, a subsequent review by Baroness Louise Casey found.

There were previously no specific legal penalties for attending a football game without a ticket.

The Unauthorised Entry to Football Matches Act also makes it illegal to knowingly try to enter a match with forged tickets, passes and accreditation documents, as well as by pretending to be a member of stadium or playing staff.

It follows an independent review of the Uefa European Championship final held at Wembley in north London on July 11 2021.

Baroness Casey identified more than 20 “near misses” that could have resulted in serious injury or death as a result of ticketless individuals trying to gain entry, and in some cases succeeding, for the England v Italy match.

Around 100,000 people travelled to Wembley for the final “of which approximately 2,000 gained entry to the stadium without tickets”, with 17 mass breaches of the gates in the 90 minutes before kick-off until the penalty shootout.

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