Football Law Assoc.

⚖️ At Football Law, we specialise in defending fans facing football-related charges. Matchday should be about football, not the courtroom. Already facing a charge or worried about a ban? Get in touch today. #footballlaw #footballfan #matchdaylaw #banningorder #knowyourrights

Using a mate's ticket, a forged one or one bought from the wrong person can now mean court, a criminal record and a ban of up to 5 years. But a charge isn't a ban. That's a separate fight, and it can be won. #footballlaw #fbo

Most chant prosecutions don't start with an officer in the crowd, they start with someone's phone. A clip shared online, tagged and forwarded, is usually what turns "everyone was singing it" into a charge against one person specifically.

Tailgating has been a criminal offence since March and three-year bans have followed fast. But a ban still has to meet the legal test, and we've had one refused. #footballlaw #fbo #tailgating

Passed on a spare ticket and worried it could be questioned? Keep your original purchase confirmation. Proof you paid face value and simply passed it on does more to settle the question than any explanation after the fact.

4 officers said they were slurring and staggering. Their own body cam showed 15 minutes of normal conversation. Both acquitted, no ban. Footage matters. #fbo #bodycamfootage

Two different offences get lumped into "having a pint at the match": carrying a drink where you can see the pitch, and being drunk trying to get in. They're prosecuted differently, defended differently, and enforcement varies wildly by ground and by steward.

On an FBO? Your passport goes in every time England play abroad, even if you don’t follow them. A booked holiday doesn’t stop that, but you can apply for an exemption. It’s not automatic though, and you’ll need to apply for each trip.

A banning order isn't just a football problem. If your job needs a DBS check, it can show up there. And if your work involves travel, the passport surrender that comes with a banning order can get in the way too.

The pyro cases we see increasingly involve footage from after the fact, not just what an officer saw at the time. A clip posted or shared later can become evidence months on. Doesn't mean don't film your day, means know where that footage can end up.

Breaching a football banning order isn't a technicality, it's a fresh criminal offence. Miss the passport surrender deadline and it's usually a fine. Attend a match you're banned from, or get caught up in trouble abroad, and it can mean prison.

A football related label doesn't just risk a banning order, it can follow you to every future match: extra steward attention, being flagged before you've done anything. That's a reason to challenge a weak link early, not just to avoid the ban itself.

Your club sells you the pint, but drink it in view of the pitch and you're committing an offence. The PM, Andy Burnham, has now called the ban "discrimination" and floated a trial. Until the law changes, stewards and police will still enforce it.

The PM has called the ban on drinking in the stands "discrimination". Andy Burnham says football fans shouldn't be singled out and there's "a case to remove" it, maybe via a trial. Until the law actually changes, a pint in view of the pitch is still an offence.

A club ban and a football banning order aren't the same thing. One's imposed by your club, often for non-criminal conduct, and you can appeal it. The other comes from a court after a conviction, bans you from all football, and lasts around three years.

Facing a charge and think CCTV backs you? Don't wait for a solicitor to ask for it. Note where the cameras were, request retention directly from the venue, and write down your account while it's fresh. Footage doesn't wait around.

Being drunk entering a match often comes down to a steward's word, no breathalyser involved. What gets missed: anything said while being stopped, a joke, an apology, "yeah I've had a few", can end up written into the case against you.

Ahead of tomorrow’s match between West Ham and Milwall, the Met have posted on X that there will be a section 35 Dispersal Order in force. What does it mean? Watch this video to find out more.

A football banning order isn't a conviction, it's what can follow one. You need to be charged with a football related offence, convicted or plead guilty, and only then can police apply for the ban itself.