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The beautiful game

Northumbria Police

16 June 2010


Northumbria Police is successfully stopping "fake football fans" heading to the World Cup.
Last week saw the start of increased patrols at Newcastle International Airport ahead of the start of the tournament as part of the United Kingdom Football Policing Unit (UK FPU) strategy to prevent disorder at the event.
The operation consists of additional Northumbria police officers in uniform and plain clothes based airside at Newcastle Airport daily, funded by the UK FPU.
They are there to prevent known football risk supporters with Football Banning Orders from travelling to the World Cup and to provide reassurance to genuine fans who travel.
On June 12 a 39-year-old Newcastle man was arrested at the airport for breaching his Football Banning Order. He had failed to hand in his passport as required and was detained as he returned from a trip to Spain.
The man had gone to Spain several weeks before the World Cup and had breached the terms of his Football Banning Order by failing to surrender his passport or to report to Pilgrim Street police station when required to. He had also failed to seek an exemption.
Chief Inspector Jackie Clark of Northumbria Police's Operations Command said: "We take enforcement action against those people who breach their banning orders and specialist football officers are currently based at Newcastle International Airport to deter, detect and apprehend anyone intending to attend the event to get involved in violence or disorder.
"Northumbria Police will be strictly enforcing any breach of football banning orders. If any of those subject to an order fail to adhere to the conditions of their football banning order they will be arrested."
At present Northumbria Police currently monitors a total of 163 people who are subject to Football Banning Orders.
Anyone who was subject to a banning order on June 1, 2010, was obliged to surrender their passport for the duration of the World Cup, preventing them from travelling to South Africa for the tournament.
They are also required to report to their designated police station on the day of any England fixture.
Across the force area a total of 20 people have been arrested for breaching their banning orders since May 25.
Anyone with information about a person breaching their Football Banning Order should contact Northumbria Police on 03456 043 043 or the Football Banning Orders Authority (FBOA) on 020 7785 7183.