Two England fans banned for life over Nazi gestures

BBC
BBC
England Fans

The Football Association has issued lifetime bans to England fans for the first time after two supporters’ club members made Nazi gestures in Germany.

March’s friendly against the world champions in Dortmund was marred by the behaviour of some fans. Some booed the German national anthem and sang about World War Two.

Two fans received lifetime bans from the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC), which means they are forbidden to attend away games.

One individual was spotted doing a Nazi salute in the away end, with another seen making an Adolf Hitler moustache and cut-throat gestures towards the German fans.

In all, 27 members have seen their ESTC membership suspended for varying lengths of time, with six handed written warnings and another case still pending.

Last month the FA said it was working with police to pursue possible football banning orders – which would cover the domestic game – for some individuals.

FA chairman Greg Clarke condemned the “inappropriate, disrespectful and disappointing” behaviour after the match, with the governing body understood to be concerned about a new generation of louts.

The ESTC is the only way to obtain tickets for the away end at England matches, with tickets required to be collected in the host city before the game.

England have an allocation of 4,761 for Saturday’s trip to Hampden Park for the 2018 World Cup qualifier against Scotland.

Starting at that match, the FA is introducing new measures to try to curb anti-social behaviour, including getting stewards who are used to working at England games at Wembley to travel with fans to away matches.

Supporters have been warned about their behaviour before the match in Glasgow, where Scottish police will impose a ban on drinking in open spaces.

Concerns have been raised over the 17:00 BST kick-off, while the Scottish FA has announced a “wide range of measures will be implemented as part of an enhanced security operation” following the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London.

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