In brief
In the UK, 656 supporters have been arrested for pitch invasions during the past five seasons.
Premier League leaders Liverpool are among the five Premier League heavyweights with the highest number of arrests.
Nearly three-quarters of Manchester City’s arrests happened in a single day.
Despite the fact that a football pitch is meant to be a safe refuge for players who are giving it their all for ninety minutes, history has demonstrated that this isn’t always the case. Pitch invasions have gradually become commonplace in football culture, whether as a result of fans running onto the pitch to protest, celebrate or simply because they felt brave enough to do so.
As with anything, some people are more likely to go overboard than others. According to statistics gathered from SeatPick, a Premier League powerhouse has the highest number of fans imprisoned for pitch invasions in England over the past five seasons.
Over the past five seasons, English teams have had the most pitch invasions.
Rank
Club
Arrest of Pitch Invaders
15.
North End of Preston
11.
14.
Cardiff City
11.
13.
Chelsea
11.
14.
County of Derby
Twelve
15.
Southampton
Twelve
Ten Arsenal (=10) twelve pitch intruders were taken into custody.
Given the setbacks of Arsene Wenger’s career, Unai Emery’s term, and Mikel Arteta’s turbulent start, most would argue that the past five years for Arsenal supporters have been among the more hopeful in recent memory.
But in terms of pitch invasions over the past five seasons, the Gunners are tied for tenth place, with twelve supporters deeming it appropriate to march onto the Emirates’ lush lawn for various reasons. The scenes may be much more bizarre if they eventually stop waiting for a Premier League championship.
Nine Sheffield United (eight) and fourteen pitch intruders were detained.
Given that the nation’s oldest football team originated in Sheffield, some would contend that the city is the figurative birthplace of English football. As for the largest team in the city, Sheffield United currently holds the title as they attempt to return to the top flight after being demoted at the end of the 2023–2024 season.
For the most part, Chris Wilder has been in command of the team for two different stints. During that time, the Blades have witnessed 14 pitch invaders get up from their seats, evade the stewards, and enter the turf, only to be placed in handcuffs.
8Bolton Wanderers
(=8) 14 pitch invaders arrested
Bolton Wanderers, who were once famous in the Premier League, are very different from where they were twenty years ago, when players like Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo graced them. After years of financial hardship, they are currently vying for a League One play-off position.
Fans have naturally become irritated as a result and have been missing the good old days. This may be one of the reasons why Wanderers fans have participated in 14 instances of pitch invasion in the past five years, in addition to other demonstrations against the football team’s situation.
Seven Coventry City 16 pitch intruders were taken into custody.
Here is a brief overview for those who are not aware of how tough life has been for Coventry City supporters over the past ten or so years. Two separate times, the team had to play outside of the city due to poor management and disagreements over stadium rent. It is a small miracle that this is the same team who advanced to the FA Cup semi-final the previous season and the play-off final the year before.
In any case, 16 Coventry supporters have been imprisoned for pitch invasions during the past five years, which probably means they aren’t allowed to witness the incredible job Frank Lampard is doing as the club’s manager.
6QPR
(=5) 19 pitch invaders arrested
As they continue to flirt with the bottom half of the Championship table, QPR supporters may be wondering where the days when they had some of the greatest cult legends in Premier League history have gone, much like Bolton did. The London club has occasionally appeared more like a team destined for League One and has no chance of making a comeback to the top level.
Rangers supporters have seen 19 of their own players imprisoned for pitch invasions over the past five years, albeit occasionally you have to wonder if they would have been more useful on the pitch or performing a job up top.
Liverpool (=5) arrested 19 pitch intruders
Liverpool, the current Premier League leaders, has joined QPR with 19 arrests. The fervent Kop and the rest of their Merseyside supporters, who sing along with their players every gameday, fuel one of the most intense atmospheres in British football at the Reds.
Sometimes, though, that passion can overflow into actions that are inappropriate or inappropriate. Even if they aren’t the city’s worst offenders, if they win the league title in front of their supporters instead of in front of a packed stadium in 2020, there may be more invasions in the not-too-distant future.
4Manchester City
20 pitch invaders arrested
Winning a league title is a significant event, and it appears that most of Manchester City’s arrests were related to how they won the Premier League in the 2021–2022 season. Ilkay Gundogan led a comeback that saw them defeat the Villains, who were then led by Steven Gerrard, 3-2 after they had fallen behind 2-0 at home against Aston Villa and were about to lose the title to Liverpool.
14 people were arrested for invading the pitch on that one day alone, and the scenes at the Etihad were breathtaking. That excludes the many hundred people who, despite the fact that it was obviously very hard to police, appeared to get away with their crime. The club was thus hit with a £300,000 fine.
Three Everton (=2) 21 pitch intruders were taken into custody.
When Everton pulled off a spectacular comeback to defeat Crystal Palace in 2022 and earn a spot in the Premier League, amazingly, no one was arrested. Only a £260,000 punishment resulted from the thousands of fans who rushed the pitch to join the players and manager Frank Lampard in celebrating.
However, other events have seen the Toffees move up to third place in terms of fans being detained for pitch invasions, with the majority of these resulting from grievances over former owner Farhad Moshiri’s handling of the team. Although it is by no means a given, supporters will be hopeful that the transfer to their new stadium for the upcoming season will spark better times.
2West Ham
(=2) 21 pitch invaders arrested
West Ham’s appearance near the top of this list shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, considering that this is the same team that a few years back had a fan go onto the field, pick up the corner flag, and plant it in the centre circle in protest of the club’s ownership. In actuality, for the past six months, the Irons have had the highest number of arrests among their supporters.
According to the stats, they are tied with Everton and one other Premier League mainstay, with 21 of those being due to pitch invasions.
One Manchester United 23 pitch invader was taken into custody.
measures to reduce costs. subpar performances. The Glazers. Given the terrible situation Manchester United is in, there isn’t anything that supporters can’t be upset about. 23 fans have been arrested for pitch invasions, which suggests that things may have already boiled over. It feels like the fans are at the breaking point right now.
Most of these have resulted from anti-Glazer demonstrations, but there was also the occasion when, during the epidemic, supporters stormed the stadium before a match against Liverpool to voice their disapproval of the team, forcing the game to be postponed.
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