What is tailgating and why the Football Association wants to put an end to it

Those tailgating at turnstiles could end up with a criminal record and a ban from matches if the Football Association (FA) has its way. Tailgating occurs when a ticketless person follows a person with a ticket through the turnstile and into a stadium. The Guardian reported that 68 people were arrested for tailgating at the Carabao Cup final in March.
The FA is pressing authorities to crack down on ‘tailgating’ and this comes ahead of the United Kingdom and Ireland hosting the 2028 men’s European Championships. According to the Guardian, the FA has petitioned the Home Office to make tailgating an offence that will result in a ban from stadiums and lead to a criminal record.
In December, Linsey Farnsworth, the MP from Amber Valley in Dershire introduced a private member’s bill to keep pressure on the government to make it law as a deterrent to those who practice tailgating.
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“Enforcing entry points at Wembley is a huge drain on our resources,” an FA source said. “The police often don’t make arrests, as tailgating isn’t a criminal offence so won’t lead to convictions, and it’s often just left to the stewards. Even when the offenders are caught they just run off to the next turnstile and try again. We need a proper deterrent in place, particularly with the Euros coming up. The Euro final (in 2021) was very challenging and we can’t have a repeat of that.”
The policing miner Dame Diana Johnson who was at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final visited the stadium control room, met police and stewards on the frontline and witnessed individuals trying to force entry at the turnstiles, the Guardian reported.
According to the Guardian, an independent review of the crowd disorder at the Euros final four years ago found that about 2,000 ticketless people had gained entry to Wembley, 400 of whom were ejected.
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