The number of people arrested at the Coventry City v Manchester United game has been revealed as details of police incidents emerged. The FA said today, Friday, April 26 that a total of 51 arrests were made over the two FA Cup semi-finals last weekend as they criticised 'unacceptable fan behaviour'.
Broken down, the police made 28 arrests at Chelsea v Manchester City on Saturday, and a further 23 arrests at the Coventry City v Manchester United game the following day. Officials say just under half of all arrests were for matters linked to pyrotechnics, tailgating and hate crimes.
This included two individuals arrested for tragedy chanting and homophobic abuse. More than a fifth of the total arrests were for drug-related incidents.
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Six of the arrests were violence related, involving three assaults on emergency workers. One fan was arrested for harming a police horse.
The news comes after Mark Robins' Sky Blues took part in one of the great FA Cup comebacks, clawing back a 3-0 deficit with 20 minutes to go against Man Utd to take the game to penalties. They lost, but a very narrow VAR decision in the last minute of extra-time denied City what would have been a deserved winner.
Chris Bryant, Stadium Director, said: "We have a zero-tolerance approach for any form of illegal, anti-social, offensive and discriminatory conduct, and our crowd safety teams work incredibly hard to ensure perpetrators are quickly identified and reported to the Police. I would like to thank the police and the team at Wembley Stadium for taking swift and decisive action when dealing with such unacceptable behaviour at both semi-finals.
“These arrests are a clear message that this type of behaviour will not be tolerated at Wembley Stadium.” Superintendent Gerry Parker, who will be match commander for the Emirates FA Cup and UEFA Champions League finals, said: “Our stance has been robust throughout the season: there is no tolerance for drug use, assaults or hate crimes.
“We know the overwhelming majority of football fans at matches are law-abiding and our officers will be there to deal with any supporters identified for committing offences inside and in the vicinity of the stadium. We are working closely with Wembley, the FA and UEFA in preparation for the FA Cup and Champions League finals to ensure the safety of everyone attending.”
Wembley Stadium says it has made "several enhancements" to its security and safety operations at recent events. They say this includes more stewards, additional ticket checks, improved fencing, new security lanes and increased enforcement of the Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) which exists around the stadium on event days.
The measures form part of the stadium’s preparations for this year’s UEFA Champions League Final, which takes place at Wembley Stadium on June 1.
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