Manchester United supporters were responsible for the highest number of football-related arrests in England and Wales during the 2024–25 season, according to the latest data published by the UK Home Office. Over the 10-month reporting period, 121 arrests were linked to fans of the Old Trafford club, more than any other team in the top flight, as revealed by The Athletic.
Manchester clubs occupy top two placesWest Ham came third with 77 arrestsVilla saw the highest percentage increaseFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
In total, 1,932 football-related arrests were recorded across all regulated fixtures in England and Wales during the 2024–25 campaign. This marks an 11 per cent decrease compared to the previous season, with 235 fewer incidents reported. The Red Devils topped the list, followed by local rivals Manchester City, whose fan base accounted for 94 arrests, and West Ham United, who registered 77 arrests.
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One of the most significant shifts came from Aston Villa, whose number of arrests rose dramatically. The Birmingham-based club saw 71 arrests, a notable increase from just 26 incidents during the 2023–24 season. This jump placed them fifth overall, trailing Chelsea who had 76 arrests, and highlights growing concerns around fan conduct at Villa Park.
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While West Ham no longer leads in total arrests, they remain at the top in two related categories. The east London side has the highest number of fans with active football banning orders, totalling 112, and also issued 39 new banning orders during the campaign, again the highest figure among all clubs. Chelsea followed with 31 and Manchester United came in third with 28 banning orders imposed on their supporters in the 2024–25 season. In the 2024–25 season, a total of 685 new banning orders were issued – a slight increase from the 683 recorded in the previous year. This brings the current number of active FBOs across England and Wales to 2,439.
WHAT THE UK POLICING MINISTER SAID
Commenting on the annual findings, Dame Diana Johnson, the UK's policing minister, praised ongoing enforcement efforts to clean up the 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,” she said.