Record 2,600 football hooligans get game bans

A record 2,596 convicted hooligans have been barred from attending football matches both at home and abroad for up to ten years, the Home Office announced yesterday.

A record 2,596 convicted hooligans have been barred from attending football matches both at home and abroad for up to ten years, the Home Office announced yesterday.

More than 1,200 new "banning orders", which also require fans to surrender their passports when England or Wales are playing, were issued by magistrates over the past year. Ministers said the clampdown had led to a 10 per cent drop in football-related arrests and a largely trouble-free Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal.