UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has told England supporters who cause havoc at domestic football matches over the coming months will face a travel ban ahead of the Qatar World Cup in November.
With fans gearing up to tackle the first ever winter World Cup in history, games are being squeezed into a tight schedule in order to accommodate the most famous sporting tournament in the world.
As a result, fans are regularly attending matches twice a week until the World Cup begins in late November – meaning more chance of violence in grounds.
And Patel has warned that restrictions on travel will occur if they behave unruly in football grounds across the country until that period – meaning a trip to Qatar will be confiscated from them.
Supporters must surrender their passports if they are seen to be abusing or attacking fans and players in that time.
“There is a very real danger to football hooligans of having their passports taken from them for six weeks,” Patel said as relayed by the Daily Mail.
“Their freedom and liberties will be restricted and they will not go to Qatar if they receive the football ban order.
“We are strengthening them to make sure that those people who cause disruption will feel the full force of the law.”
Despite the extreme treatment, the number of banning orders only hit 1,400 across the entirety of last season – 50 per cent lower than numbers 12 years ago.
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