Police have issued a message to Nottingham Forest fans ahead of their highly-anticipated FA Cup match with Liverpool. The two teams will square off at the City Ground at 6pm on Sunday, March 20 aiming to book their place in the semi-finals at Wembley.
For Nottingham Forest, it's been a dream campaign which has seen them beat the likes of Arsenal and Leicester en-route to playing Jurgen Klopp's side in one of their biggest games in recent memory. The match with Leicester City, especially, gave the police a lot of work to do - with violence and vandalism reported in the city centre before an away fan ran on the pitch and assaulted some of the Nottingham Forest players.
It's the first time in 23 years the two sides have met each other - and they have a history of playing against each other as rivals in years gone by. Nottinghamshire Police say they want fans to enjoy themselves and their day out - but have urged people not to "spoil" the day by letting their emotions get the better of them.
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Chief Inspector Neil Williams, match commander of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “With the two clubs not playing each other in such a long time and with the small matter of a place in the semi finals of the FA Cup at stake, we know that this tie will mean a little bit more to fans. Unsurprisingly, tickets for this tie sold out extremely quickly among home supporters, while Liverpool also claimed their full allocation of tickets for the match, so we expect there to be a fantastic atmosphere inside the City Ground.
“While we want everyone who is attending the game to have a great time, it is vital that people don’t allow their emotions to get the better of them and spoil the day for others. The entire Lower Bridgford stand has been allocated to house the more than 4,000 away fans who will be in attendance, with measures being taken to ensure the rest of the ground is for Forest fans only.
“For the safety and enjoyment of all supporters in the ground, it is extremely important that away fans don’t sit in seats outside this allocated area, with Forest confirming that action will be taken against anyone found to have sold tickets to Liverpool fans within the home sections. As ever, our officers will be on hand to support fans and both clubs to provide an enjoyable day for everyone in attendance, and we will of course take positive action to keep people safe, should any crime or disorder take place.
“This game is now a complete sell out and no tickets will be available on the day, so please don’t attend the match unless you have a ticket already. I would warn fans against buying tickets online from re-sellers for inflated prices, as they’re often not genuine, while I would also remind potential sellers that ticket touting is an arrestable offence which can lead to a football banning order.”
Fans are being urged to arrive early at the City Ground, ahead of the 6pm kick off. Police are also warning people not to try to take flares and smoke bombs into the ground.
Ch Insp Williams added: “We have unfortunately experienced incidents of flares being brought into stadiums at other matches this season, which is completely unacceptable. There is no place for pyrotechnics in a football ground and I would like to remind anyone attempting to smuggle any into the stadium that this is a criminal offence that can lead to an arrest and a football banning order of up to five years.
“We’re really looking forward to being able to welcome Liverpool to Nottingham for the resumption of this old rivalry, which is set to be a fantastic occasion for the city. As always, our main priority will be to ensure that interactions between both sets of fans remain good-natured, so that everyone can enjoy the match safely.”
