Brighton reveal number of home and visiting fan ejections and arrests for "hate crimes" in the past season and a half is double the total of the previous three seasons added together
Thursday 20 December 2018 21:02, UK
Brighton manager Chris Hughton paid tribute to club stewards and staff for their work in identifying individuals responsible for fan trouble in recent weeks, but is unsure what more can be done to prevent such incidents.
Tottenham's Carabao Cup game against Arsenal on Wednesday was partly overshadowed by midfielder Dele Alli being struck by a bottle thrown from the crowd.
Arsenal have identified an image of the fan who they say "embarrassed" the club, but the incident is just the latest in a series of supporter-related trouble in British football.
Earlier this season, Hibernian manager Neil Lennon was hit by a coin and Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal was also floored in the Edinburgh derby, while Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka was also struck by a bottle during a game against Newcastle at Selhurst Park.
Asked whether the increase in incidents is a worrying trend, Hughton said: "Yes I think it is because it is not something that we want to see.
"What everyone wants to see are exciting football matches where fans get behind the team that they support."
Asked if he had seen the Alli incident, Hughton added: "Of course I have seen it, but what I would prefer to do is talk about is that a few incidents have happened over the last few weeks. This is something that is happening a little bit more regularly now.
"Credit to the football clubs with their CCTV cameras and the work by the stewards to identify any of these individuals.
"It is not a part of the game that we want to see and the clubs are working as hard as they can to eradicate these things. I don't see that there is any more that we can do."
Brighton also released a club statement on the matter on Thursday. It read: "Sadly, our club is not immune from such behaviour. At the Amex, the number of home and visiting fan ejections and arrests for so-called "hate crimes" in the past one and a half seasons is, albeit from a very low base, already double the total of the previous three seasons added together.
"Relative to the number of people attending games across the country, incidents both here and elsewhere involve a tiny minority of mindless individuals.
"Racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, discrimination and violence have no place in society, let alone in a football stadium.
"We want the Amex to be a safe and non-discriminatory environment for everyone. We want fans to watch and enjoy top level football in a noisy, passionate but positive atmosphere. To be clear, anyone not sharing our objectives should stay away. You are not welcome at the Amex."
