Mark Roberts Says English Clubs Need To Cover Policing Costs

Fans invaded the pitch at Wigan Athletic's FA Cup victory over Man City on Feb. 19.GETTY IMAGES

Violence and disorder at English football grounds "may increase further unless clubs cover policing costs," the sport's police chief warned, according to Kate Kopczyk of the BBC. Mark Roberts, a deputy chief constable with South Yorkshire Police, said that the game will not be a "highly marketable product" if incidents continue. He was responding to the "pitch invasion" after Wigan's FA Cup victory over Man City on Feb. 19. He said, "Sadly, unless something changes, we're likely to see more incidents." Roberts said that there was "a bad combination of clubs getting richer but cutting costs." He said, "We have fewer police officers in football grounds; clubs are cutting costs for policing and backfilling with stewards who don't have the same authority as the police" (BBC, 2/26).