Fans to get bans for pitch invasions and pyrotechnics in football crackdown

Pitch invaders at English football will be banned from stadiums and reported to police under new measures agreed by the game’s authorities.

The crackdown will lead to supporters facing the same sanction if found with fireworks or flares, commonly known as “pyro”, in grounds and for throwing objects or drug use. The new rules follow multiple scenes of disorder at the close of the last domestic season.

A hardline approach agreed between the Premier League, EFL and Football Association comes into immediate effect. The length of any ban has not been determined but they are expected to be valid for one year.

“Together, with clubs and partners across football, we are making clear the type of incidents we saw last season must stop,” the Premier League’s chief executive, Richard Masters, said. “If we don’t take collective and sustained action, it may only be a matter of time before someone is seriously injured, or worse.”

Any fan who runs on to the pitch or carries or uses pyro will be subject to an automatic club ban, with bans possibly extended to parents or guardians if the offenders are under the age of 18. Individuals will also be reported to police, with the football authorities pledging to work together to achieve prosecutions.

Further efforts will be undertaken in an attempt to influence the culture that has led to an uptick in disorder since fans returned to grounds after lockdown. The authorities say they will ask social media companies to remove content featuring pitch invasions and pyro, claiming that videos showing the Crystal Palace defender Joachim Andersen being hit by an Everton fan have been viewed more than four million times. Broadcasting companies have already been asked to move their cameras away from