Mark Roberts said that a minority of British football fans drink to excess and become disorderly.GETTY IMAGES
British police "will consider advising foreign cities to restrict alcohol sales" next time England plays football abroad, as they "desperately look for a solution" to English fans’ "anti-social" behavior, according to Jack Pitt-Brooke of the London INDEPENDENT. England’s trip to Seville last week was "marred" by bad behavior from fans, "as was the case" with the game in Amsterdam last March. England’s two November games are both at Wembley, meaning its next away games are likely to be Euro 2020 qualifiers in March. Deputy Chief Constable Mark Roberts said that it is "difficult to stop" the drunken behavior abroad of a certain group of England fans. The FA controls away tickets through the England Supporters Travel Club, and the police can apply for Football Banning Orders to stop fans from traveling. But they "cannot stop everyone." The UK Football Policing Unit "is now set to strengthen its advice to whichever foreign cities host England’s next away games." While they are "keen to stress that most fans behave well, they want to be honest about the sizeable minority who do not." Roberts said, "There is too big an element who drink and behave obnoxiously. It is a minority, but there are far too many, and it would be wrong to try to minimize it as a small minority. ... We are going to describe the behavior we are going to anticipate, which is fans drinking to excess and becoming disorderly" (INDEPENDENT, 10/18).
