Manchester United topped the list of fan arrests in England and Wales during the 2024-25 football season, according to the latest data released by the UK Home Office. The data encompasses arrests related to regulated matches.
Arrests by Club
Manchester United fans accounted for the highest number of arrests with 121, surpassing local rivals Manchester City, whose fans were linked to 94 arrests. West Ham United followed with 77 arrests. Other clubs with significant numbers of arrests included Chelsea (76) and Aston Villa (71).
Overall Arrest Trends
In total, there were 1,932 football-related arrests across England and Wales during the 2024-25 season. This represents an 11% decrease compared to the previous season, marking the first drop since fans returned to stadiums after the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the overall decrease in arrests, the number of matches with reported incidents increased by 18%, from 1,341 to 1,583.
Types of Offenses
The most common type of arrest was for public disorder, accounting for 32% of all arrests. Violent disorder accounted for 22% of arrests. There was also a notable increase in arrests for possession of Class A drugs, which constituted 19% of arrests, the highest since it became a Schedule 1 offense in November 2022.
Banning Orders
As of June 1, 2025, there were 2,439 football banning orders in force, a 12% increase compared to the end of the previous season and the highest number since the end of the 2012-13 season. These orders prevent individuals from attending matches in the UK, and those subject to them may be required to hand over their passports to police before overseas matches and tournaments. West Ham United had the most supporters with banning orders in force (112), followed by Manchester United (108) and Chelsea (80). During the 2024-2025 season, West Ham (39), Chelsea (31), and Manchester United (28) issued the highest number of new football banning orders.
Hate Crimes
Reports of hate crimes at matches increased from 341 in 2023-24 to 420 in 2024-25, the highest number on record. Of these, 287 incidents related to race, 140 to sexual orientation, 20 to religion, 19 to disability, and 3 to gender identity.
Home vs. Away Arrests
49% of the arrests of Manchester United fans occurred at home games, with 34 of those arrests being for public or violent disorder.
Regional Trends
Aston Villa experienced a significant increase in arrests, rising from 26 in the 2023-24 season to 71 in 2024-25. Arsenal, on the other hand, saw the largest decrease in arrests, with a reduction of 43 arrests compared to the previous season.
