Fans' group accuses football police of bringing Hillsborough into drinks debate
The argument over a pint in the stands has become an argument over Hillsborough.
The Football Supporters' Association has accused the UK Football Policing Unit of bringing the disaster into the debate about drinking in sight of the pitch. The fans' group said the 1989 disaster was not caused by alcohol.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for the ban to go. He described the rules that stop supporters drinking at their seats or in the stands as outdated and discriminatory.
The law in question is the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985. It bans drinking in sight of the pitch in England and Wales in the top five men's leagues. In practice, fans can buy a drink in the concourse. They cannot take it to their seat to watch the game.
Police leaders oppose a change. The UK Football Policing Unit, a team of officers and staff that supports forces on football operations, said legislation introduced after the Taylor Report was brought in for good reason. That report, commissioned after Hillsborough to examine stadium safety, reshaped how grounds in Britain are run.
The unit said the UK is now in its longest period without a significant football-related disaster. It said it would be “incredibly rash” to make fundamental changes to alcohol laws without a full examination of the evidence, according to The Guardian. It also said alcohol often plays a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour by a minority of supporters.
A police spokesman had earlier warned that a change would pose “challenges” to policing and the safety of staff, as reported by BBC News. The unit added it would welcome a meeting with the prime minister to discuss the proposal and the safety issues involved.
That link to post-Taylor Report laws drew a sharp response. Police initially blamed Hillsborough on drunken fans, an explanation rejected by survivors and relatives of the victims, Reuters reported. Ninety-seven Liverpool fans died as a result of the disaster.
The policing unit later said it had not intended to link alcohol with the Hillsborough tragedy. A spokesperson acknowledged that the alcohol laws were first introduced in 1985, four years before Hillsborough.
For fans, this means the debate now runs on two tracks. One is practical: whether a supporter should be able to take a beer to their seat. The other is about memory and trust, and why any mention of Hillsborough still carries such weight.
