Friday 23 September 2022 01:47 AM Football fan arrests are at highest level for eight years trends now

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Arrests of football hooligans have reached the highest level in eight years, figures showed yesterday.

There were 2,198 football-related arrests in the 2021-22 season, up 59 per cent on the last comparable pre-pandemic period in 2018-19.

Birmingham City fans had the highest number of banning orders – imposed by a court to prevent troublemakers attending games – with 57, followed by Millwall (52) and Bolton Wanderers (46), Home Office figures showed.

Trouble was reported at 1,609 matches in the season, up 60 per cent compared with 2018-19.

Home Office minister Jeremy Quin said: ‘It is unacceptable that the game we all love is tarnished by a minority of selfish troublemakers.