More than 30 football hooligans in West Midlands banned from matches
More than 30 football hooligans in the West Midlands have been hit with banning orders totalling more than 100 years.
West Midlands Police handed out Football Banning Orders (FBOs) to 34 people during the 2018/2019 season.
The orders, of between three to five years, prevents fans from attending games in the UK and overseas.
It means anyone with an FBO will miss out on England's match in the UEFA Nations League Final held in Portugal on Thursday.
Fans subject to an order must surrender their passport to a police station by the end of Monday, or face a hefty fine or up to six months imprisonment.
The FBOs can be handed out for disorder, or any football-related offences such as fighting or damaging property in a pub while watching a game.
It comes as part of a crackdown on hooliganism by the force's football unit.
Inspector Andy Bridgewater, head of the force’s football unit, said: "These orders are sought proportionately against the small number of fans who engage in football-related violence, nuisance and disorder.
"Our priority is to ensure the safety of all supporters and those who fail to respect this and break the law will be punished.
"In the last season we have secured banning orders totalling more than 100 years and those who breach them face being jailed.
"We now have more than 200 people on FBOs across the region and they not only cover games in the UK but overseas.
"It could be a memorable moment if England triumph in Portugal but those on orders will have missed out on the chance of being there due to their previous bad behaviour."
