Not selling alcohol at football is not "discrimination"

Men getting consequences playing the unfair treatment card. Shocker

But the discrimination isnt based on the make up of the fans ( class, gender , race etc.) rather than the historical evidence that shows introducing alcohol into an already tribal atmosphere is problematic. That’s sensible risk management in my opinion.

Football fans should learn to behave if they want access to their alcohol. Perhaps a leaflet campaign in the stands informing them of the standards expected of them in a civilised country would be in order, seeing as though its good enough for refugees who haven't even done anything wrong.

I don't think it's a problem how it is now and nothing needs to change. I went to a local match on Saturday and had a pint at half time away from the stand, in the bar area.

People also often have a couple of pints before the match. And sometimes after as well.

Frankly I wouldn't want to be in the standing area with men having plastic cups of ale. Although it was civilised things could easily get out of hand and I don't want a return to the 1980s.

Agree..plus some dirty buggers pee in them 😡

The thing is, unlike other sports, at a lot of grounds it is 90-95% men. Great for me, no queue for the ladies. A proportion of those men will not behave if alcohol in the stand is brought into the mix. However good behaviour is now, relative to 40 years ago it's a delicate balance.

The men of the 1980s are in their 60s/70s/ dead now. You need to assess whether it genuinely would comeback with a different generation and fan base, not just assume.

You are allowed to drink during football matches. Just away from the stands at half time only. The two halves are 45 to 50 minutes each. If you can't manage not to have a drink in that time you have a problem.

This isn't about risk assessment though - and if it were then alcohol would be banned everywhere because there will have been negative consequences related to alcohol at almost all sports events.

It's that one particular group (football fans) has been singled out amongst the larger group (sports fans) and subject to denial of services (access to alcohol in games) that the others have access to.

I think he's foolish to wade into this sort of thing and if he was questioned directly, he should have simply said it's a matter for clubs and police to work on together. (Also, I agree with you OP, it's obviously not discrimination, but you can see he meant it in a colloquial sense to explain that bans should apply equally to all sporting events or none. Whether a PM should be that cavalier with language is another matter.)

I used to work at stadiums and big football grounds and I think it's sensible to ban alcohol in what can already a highly volatile environment. Whilst never personally threatened, this may have had something to do with the fact that there were many occasions where I had a giant, armed police officer standing next to me for the whole game, ready to step in if people became violent. The most dangerous time for everyone, I felt, was after the game had ended, as all the local stations were closed by police, meaning hundreds of people filtered out at the same time, trapped on the same main road, walking for an hour to find public transport. Fights were more likely to break out then.

Burnham has lost the plot. It hasn’t taken long.

It's not like they have been singled out for no reason. Their behaviour is rancid. I really hate getting on the train to work on Saturday mornings only to hear them bellowing their unintelligible football 'songs' all over the carriage. It actually ruins my day, so the government can sanction them as much as they like for me.

Risk management doesn’t have to mean a total ban. You weight up the likelihood and then put in place appropriate mitigation. This is a mitigation.

Rugby fans are also able to sit in mixed stands, whereas football grounds had to stop this decades ago. As a football fan I would say many of those who sit around me cannot be trusted to behave.

All I can say is I’ve been to matches and cricket where alcohol is allowed match side and where it’s not - I know which one feels safer.

Hardly. I don't have agree with him on everything.

I'm not in favour of blanket bans, they generally affect too many others who behave responsibly. I would rather enjoy a game or a gig without the hassle of managing a flimsy plastic glass but if someone else wants to it's up to them.

It’s an odd thing for a PM to prioritise and speak about given everything else which is doubtless across his desk at the moment. And I think if I was motivated by addressing discrimination then there are worse injustices in the so I wouldn’t start with this either.

Of course it is about risk assessment.

Every club / stadium wants to make money. The cricket ground I go to takes thousands and thousands of pounds at the bar every match. There is very rarely any trouble at all, as cricket isn't tribal and doesn't attract those who get their kicks from that. So they have assessed it is worth the tiny risk that alcohol might fuel someone into causing trouble is worth it for them.
The football I go to is very tribal, and testosterone fueled. The risk assessment there is that adding more alcohol into that could 'light the touch paper' in an atmosphere than can be quite unpleasant, so it isn't worth it for those extra sales.

Plus, at the risk of continually repeating myself, the way the crowd leaps up at the hint of any exciting action in a football game (therefore spilling beer on everyone around them) is completely different from the applause given at wickets or boundaries at a cricket match.

I enjoy both games but it is like comparing apples and a hot dog (not even oranges).

Utter woke nonsense

If they're allowed soft drinks then there's no reason why not alcohol. As long as no glass containers/outside drinks.
If anything banning it could encourage bingeing before matches.

I guess it's discrimination if you're allowed to drink in the stands for rugby, cricket, athletics, boxing or any other spectator sport. Assuming football fans are less responsible drinkers. But if it's based on risk assessment then they need to think about safety.

If you're comparing it with the opera or theatre I think it's plain to see the that the motivation and behavior of the crown would be somewhat different.

This obsession with the spilled beer - how come they're not showering you with tea and soft drinks?

Beer at football is c. £8 a pint. They're not going to be routinely throwing it around 🤣

You’re missing the point. It’s not about managing without alcohol.

a cricket fan is legally allowed to have a beer in that 45 minutes. Whether they can manage without one is neither here nor there

risk assessment would be

“where alcohol is consumed there is a risk of aggression. To mitigate that aggression we will not allow fans to drink during the game”

unfair risk assessment is

“where alcohol is consumed at football matches there is a risk of aggression. At cricket matches this risk is irrelevant”

At a cricket game I have often sat next to a person who is supporting the opposition. I have chatted to them, occasionally shared some of snacks with them, discussed the game with them and applauded when their side makes a good move. There is absolutely no need to keep the different sides apart.
When the football supporters can behave like this then I think alcohol can be served. Alcohol was banned at football matches for a reason. AB, the unelected prime minister is just wants to be popular.