League of shame! 41 fans arrested as Stoke City ranks 13th worst for trouble

League of shame! 41 fans arrested as Stoke City ranks 13th worst for trouble

The number of football-related arrests increased by 14% last year across the Championship and Premier League

In the previous season’s England and Wales Football Arrest League, Stoke City came in at number 13. In 20223/24,

41 supporters were arrested for football-related offences, according to the most recent Home Office data.

They placed last in the League of Shame, behind Championship rivals Millwall and West Bromwich Albion. West

Ham United, meanwhile, led the standings with 103 arrests. Of those arrests, twenty-four were for class A drug

possession, and fifty-two were for public disorder.

Rivals Manchester City and Manchester United were joint second in the arrest table. Fans of both clubs were

arrested 88 times last season. Both clubs also had 20 arrests for possession of class A drugs.

The number of football-related arrests increased by 14% last year, going from 2,264 in 2022/23 to 2,584 in 2022/24.

Only nine of last season’s arrests were for racist chanting though, down from 23 the season before and a peak of 44

in 2010/11.

The number of people arrested for possessing class A drugs in or outside of the stadium rose from 200 in 22/23 to

344 last season. Those are the only two years that crime has been recorded.

West Ham also top the list of clubs for new banning orders issued against fans with 49 in total. That’s compared to

30 for Everton supporters, 26 for Manchester City fans and 25 for Manchester United fans

While the number of arrests is on the rise, the Home Office figures show that there are still relatively few when

compared to attendances. For every 100,000 football fans who attended a game last season, there were 5.5 arrests.

Computer “Stoke City, Staffordshire Police, and the courts are doing positive work to stamp out this unacceptable

behaviour, and we will continue to take action against those who use football stadiums as a venue to commit crimes,”

stated Ben Greensides, a dedicated football officer for Stoke City.

Top 20 most football-related arrests in 2023/24

Rank. Club: Arrests
1. West Ham United: 103
2. Manchester City: 88
2. Manchester United: 88
4. Arsenal: 85
5. Chelsea: 67
6. Newcastle United: 61
7. Tottenham Hotspur: 55
8. West Bromwich Albion: 51
9. Millwall: 47
10. Liverpool: 46
11. Everton: 45
12. Birmingham City: 44
13. Stoke City: 41
14. Crystal Palace: 40
15. Nottingham Forest: 39
16. Middlesbrough: 36
17. Bristol City: 34
17. Reading: 34
19. Cardiff City: 33
20. Coventry City: 32

Read more news on https://sportupdates.co.uk/