The Peninsula
More than 1,300 unruly fans in England and Wales will be prohibited from travelling to Qatar for the World Cup, starting next month, the UK Home Office has announced.
In a statement, the Home Office said it had responded to the recent disorder with a number of measures and warned that any banned supporter attempting to reach Qatar could face six months in prison and an unlimited fine.
Under the new measures coming into force on October 14, the Home Office says it will also be stopping "any supporter who has previously caused trouble and is deemed likely to do so again" from travelling to the tournament in Qatar starting from 10 days before the tournament begins on November 20 until its conclusion on December 18.
"We will not let the behaviour of a minority of lawbreakers’ tarnish what will be an exciting tournament," Home Secretary Suella Braverman said.
Anyone affected who wishes to travel abroad during the World Cup must obtain permission and undergo thorough screening. In addition, a targeted operation at ports will aim to identify previous offenders looking to travel to Qatar.
Police will also be able to stop previous offenders judged likely to cause trouble from travelling to the Gulf. As part of a targeted operation at ports, if such people are caught attempting to reach Qatar, they will face a court hearing for a football banning order within 24 hours.
The Home Office added that police in Qatar would also be gathering intelligence, warning that fans considered to be "posing a risk" could get a football banning order on their return to the UK as well as be arrested for offences in Qatar.
The measures follow a drastic rise in fans' unruly behaviour and pitch invasions in England, in particular, with football-related arrests rising by nearly 60 percent last season, the highest level for eight years, compared with the last full year before the pandemic.
Recent Home Office data reveals that of the 3,019 matches played over the course of last season, there were 1,609 reported incidents—indicating more than 50 percent of all fixtures.
Despite the stats, the number of people banned from heading to Qatar is only slightly higher than the 1,200 Britons banned from travelling to Russia for the World Cup in 2018, despite Wales joining England to play at the World Cup in Qatar.
About 2,200 England supporters were banned from the 2014 tournament in Brazil, while about 3,200 were stopped from travelling to South Africa for the 2010 World Cup.