Manchester United and City top football arrests league table
Manchester United had more supporters arrested last season than any other team in England and Wales, ahead of neighbours Manchester City and West Ham United.
Home Office figures released today show there were 121 arrests of Manchester United fans, 34 of which were for public or violent disorder, during the 2024-25 campaign.
That was by far the most of any club, with Manchester City supporters the next worst offenders on 94 arrests.
West Ham, who topped the table for arrests in the previous three seasons, had 77 fans booked by police.
The Hammers had more banning orders in place for its supporters than any other club, however, rising from 93 to 112 by the end of the season.
Manchester United had the second most second with 108, up from 89, while Chelsea were third on 80, after an increase of almost 50 per cent.
Banning orders prevent fans from attending matches in the UK and can require them to hand over passports to police before overseas matches and tournaments.
A total of 2,439 banning orders were in force on 1 June, up 12 per cent on the end of the previous season and the highest number for more than a decade.
Football arrests down but hate crimes up
Football-related arrests fell 11 per cent year-on-year to a total of 1,932, the first drop since fans returned to stadiums after the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of matches with reported incidents increased however by 18 per cent, from 1,341 to 1,583.
Public disorder was the most frequent cause of arrests, accounting for 32 per cent, although the proportion of arrests for Class A drugs rose from nine to 19 per cent.
Hate crimes were the most common reported incidents, blighting 420 matches – significantly up from 341 and the highest figure in the eight seasons recorded by the Home Office.
Of those, 287 incidents related to race, 140 to sexual orientation, 20 to religion, 19 to disability and three to gender identity.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Police up and down the country work incredibly hard to ensure football stadiums are safe, so we can all enjoy our national game.
“Today’s statistics show that these efforts are paying off and strong action is being taken to stop violence and disorder from ruining football.”
