The number of football hooligans arrested by the police fell
last season, official figures have revealed, reports ITV
Football.
Home Office statistics showed there were 3,752 arrests at
matches in England and Wales - a fall of 2% on the 2007/8
season.
Half were for disorder and around a third for alcohol offences.
Other arrests were for ticket touting and violence.
Manchester United fans topped
the Premier League arrest
charts.
Of 1,600 arrests of fans with clubs in the top flight, 185 were
followers of the league title holders. Second was relegated
Newcastle with 144 arrests and third was Everton with 139. Fulham had the fewest fans arrested with just
13.
More than three thousand fans are banned from watching
matches.
Of those Leeds fans are the worst offenders with 162 coming
under banning orders, behind Cardiff with 124 and Millwall with
110.
International matches involving England or Wales at home and
abroad led to 35 arrests.
Policing minister David Hanson said: "Hooligans once blighted
our national game, but we now set an example for the rest of the
world in how we police football matches.
"I am pleased with the way clubs and police work together, but
we must also praise fans for realising violence has no place in the
modern game.
"We are not complacent and will carry on working to ensure this
success story continues into the future."
