Police have warned that they will 'clamp down hard' on fans who cause trouble ahead of Nottingham Forest's Premier League game with Leicester City tomorrow (January 14). Unruly supporters have been told that they could be arrested and slapped with lengthy football banning orders if they are found to be acting illegally.
The warning comes almost a year after violence marred an FA Cup tie between the two at the City Ground on February 6, 2022. Eight men from Leicestershire were arrested and charged following violent disorder which happened outside Fat Cat bar in Chapel Bar, Nottingham.
All have pleaded guilty to violent disorder and are awaiting sentence. A 19-year-old Leicester man was sentenced to four months in youth custody, having pleaded guilty to three counts of common assault and going on to a playing area at a football match. He was also handed a 10-year banning order and a £100 fine.
Read more: CCTV image released after woman's face punched in Nottingham city centre pub
Three more Leicester men, aged 21, 54 and 40, appeared in court and were all handed three-year banning orders after being charged with different offences at the match. One pleaded guilty to a charge of throwing a smoke bomb, another pleaded guilty to being drunk and disorderly and a third pleaded guilty to a public order offence.
Three men from Leicestershire and a fourth from Derbyshire were arrested and charged in connection with violent disorder at the Cross Keys pub, in Byard Lane, Lace Market, in the lead up to the match. Three have pleaded guilty to violent disorder, and will be sentenced in due course, while a fourth is set to stand trial later this year.
Those without a matchday ticket have been urged to stay away from the City Ground. Chief Inspector Jon Foy, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "The vast majority of people attending this fixture will be well-behaved, law-abiding individuals wanting to enjoy the match in a safe and enjoyable manner.
"Our focus is always to keep the public safe to enable them to have a trouble-free time when going to watch their team play and we will, of course, take positive action to tackle any incidents of disorder. We want to make it clear to the tiny minority who may be thinking of causing any trouble that we will clamp down hard on them.
"They may be arrested, may find themselves before the courts as a result and receive lengthy football banning orders preventing them from attending matches. We would request those without a match day ticket do not travel and stay away from the City Ground.
"It's also important any supporters thinking of taking pyrotechnics into stadiums and using them realise this activity is illegal, as well as being extremely dangerous. They could end up leaving someone with serious injuries, as well as finding themselves with a criminal record and being banned from football."
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