Football supporters are "being treated with double standards compared to fans of other sports," according to a campaign group which has revealed there have been 3,033 prosecutions for "draconian" football-only offenses since '10, according to James Riach of the London GUARDIAN. The campaign Football Fans Not Criminals, launched in conjunction with civil liberties group the Manifesto Club, "wants to scrap a series of crimes that only relate to football supporters." These "include offences of indecent chanting, encroaching on the pitch and possession of alcohol when entering a ground." The group, which has the backing of individuals from Supporters Direct and the Football Supporters’ Federation, also wants to end civil banning orders, "bubble matches" where ticket purchases and travel arrangements "are restricted, intrusive body searches, the filming of fans by police, and end the ban on drinking alcohol in stadium spectator areas." A freedom of information request by the Manifesto Club "found that of the 3,033 prosecutions for football-only offences" since '10: 1,043 were for breaches of banning orders, 791 for being drunk in or while trying to enter a stadium and 733 were for going on to the pitch. FFNC "does not condone any criminal or offensive behaviour but believes the stigma surrounding football supporters is unwarranted and that the same behaviour by fans watching other sports such as rugby would go unpunished." Supporters Direct Dir Peter Lloyd said, "We want football-only laws to be rescinded and that the authorities focus on the wrongdoers, not the vast majority of people through blanket measures such as ‘dry trains.’ They are just as likely to cause difficulties as they are to prevent them" (GUARDIAN, 3/28).
