Chelsea and Manchester City thugs must hand their passports over to police before the FIFA Club World Cup starts in America – and could even be banned from going on holiday
More than 100 Chelsea and Manchester City football hooligans have been banned from travelling to this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup. Violent followers of the two Premier League giants have been ordered to surrender their passports ahead of the new tournament in America.
The strict travel restrictions apply to any Chelsea and City hooligans with a football banning order. They could be jailed for six months if they fail to surrender their passports between June 9 and July 13. The football thugs will have to apply for special permission to even go on holiday to another country.
Around 150 hooligans affected by the measure will be contacted by the Football Banning Orders Authority.
32 clubs are taking part in the new expanded competition, which sees them vying to be crowned world club champions. As recent winners of the Champions League, Chelsea and City qualified to represent England and the Premier League.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said she wants genuine fans to travel to the US “safely and enjoyably”. But she added: “For the tiny minority of troublemakers who use football as an excuse for criminality, we will be applying the same proven preventative measures that we have successfully done for other overseas tournaments.
“As part of the Safer Streets Mission and the government’s Plan for Change, we will continue to crack down on the hooligan minority, so that the vast majority can carry on attending football without trouble.”
A similar scheme during the Euro 2024 tournament in Germany saw 99 percent of those subject to a banning order comply and surrender their passports.
Football banning orders are imposed by courts following conviction for a football-related offence or on application by police or prosecutors. This can include violence, disorder, pitch invasions, use of pyrotechnics and online hate crime linked to football.
During the 2023/24 season, police made 2,584 football-related arrests and 825 new banning orders were issued. There are over 2,000 football banning orders currently in force in England and Wales.
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