Leeds win a title, but not one they want
One of the fallen giants of English football, Leeds United, gained the unenviable title of the club with the most football banning orders on Friday.
The orders are placed on football hooligans in England to them attending games at home and abroad.
An extra 20 orders were imposed on Leeds’ fans during the year to bring its total to 115, following an even larger rise last year.
Premiership club Portsmouth were second with 110, followed by Cardiff City (last year’s highest, falling from 152 orders to 109), Stoke City (108) and Manchester United (106).
Stoke City also gained the largest number of orders in the year, 58.
In all, Home Office figures released on Saturday showed there were 3,387 fans subjected to the orders.
A total of 995 were imposed during the year, making a net total rise of seven percent year-on-year after allowing for orders that have expired.
There was however some good news as arrests for football-related offences dipped by seven percent to 3,462 – the third consecutive season to see a fall.
Home Office minister Vernon Coaker said: “I am very encouraged by the new figures.
“A seven percent decrease in football-related arrests coupled with a seven percent increase in football banning orders shows that tough legislation and targeted policing continues to be effective.”
Leeds currently lie in second last place in England’s second tier Championship table.