Football Drinking Ban Review

The restriction applies specifically to matches involving clubs in the top five tiers of English men’s football, and the rules cover the period from 15 minutes before kickoff until 15 minutes after the final whistle.

The Football Supporters’ Association backed a review of what it called outdated legislation, while police chiefs said they wanted to meet the prime minister to explain the practical challenges of relaxing the rules.

The 1985 legislation was introduced by Margaret Thatcher’s government after then-Home Secretary Leon Brittan described alcohol as a “major contributory factor in violent and disorderly behaviour” at football grounds.

Reuters reported that the introduction of all-seater stadiums, tougher policing and CCTV, as well as football’s commercial transformation, has helped reduce match violence since 1985; the article also linked the crackdown to the Heysel Stadium disaster, in which 39 people died and English clubs were subsequently banned from European competitions for five years.