Brentford FC has today announced a summary of the action which it has taken this season against a number of individuals who have breached ground regulations, committed football-related offences or damaged the reputation of the Club.

This information has been published following a meeting earlier in the season with our fan groups including BIAS, Bees United, the West Stand Alliance and Beesotted. A commitment was made at that meeting to update all fans on the action which has been taken to tackle unacceptable conduct at our matches.

This season to date, 28 sanctions have been issued, ranging from a two-match ban to indefinite stadium bans. 15 of these sanctions remain active.

These sanctions have been reported in the context of the official national figures which show that, football-related arrests this season across the top five divisions in English football are up by 47 per cent since the most recent pre-lockdown figure in 2019/20. Brentford are therefore not alone in dealing with increased fan behaviour issues.

These bans have been issued for the following reasons:

A number of fans who have served their sanctions have now signed Acceptable Behaviour Contracts (ABCs) which effectively commit them to improving their behaviour at Brentford matches in the future.

Under Brentford’s sanctions process, individuals against whom serious complaints have been alleged are provided with a summary of the evidence against them and invited to respond. The Club then decides whether or not the individual has breached the relevant Premier League policies and protocols and/or other relevant Club regulations and policies. If a sanction is imposed it is confirmed in writing. The individual being sanctioned has the right to appeal to the Club’s Adjudicator as set out in the Club’s Supporter Charter. So far this season one ban has been overturned on appeal.

136 memberships have also been revoked this season for ticket touting, with a further 43 members currently under investigation.

Jon Varney, Chief Executive of Brentford FC, said: “We have taken the unusual step today to announce these figures in relation to the action we have taken against those who have stepped out of line this season. We don’t take any pleasure in this, but we feel it is important to be transparent.

“It is important for our fans to know how seriously we take these issues. As part of our BeeTogether campaign, we are committed to making Brentford Community Stadium a home which our fans love, where they feel welcome and that they belong, and which has an electric atmosphere. If that means we need to take firm action at times to achieve that, then we will do so.

“I also want to put this into context – these numbers represent less than 0.1 per cent of our registered fans. The vast majority of our supporters back the Club and the values we hold and agree with the standards of behaviour that we expect.

“Together, we have created a superb matchday experience at our new home. This has been highlighted on a recent Premier League survey where we ranked number one in the league for matchday fan experience. This is something that the Club and the fans together should be very proud of and we must all work hard to maintain.”

Following recent events elsewhere, the Club would also like to remind fans that it is a criminal offence to go onto the pitch. Pitch incursions of any kind not only create security and health risks for the players and match officials but are also likely to lead to lengthy stadium bans and a criminal record for those involved. Adults must also take responsibility for children in their group and should not under any circumstances encourage or allow them to enter the field of play.

Fans are encouraged, if they see or hear racist, sexist, homophobic, or other discriminatory behaviour on matchday to report what they see or experience immediately to any of the matchday stewards, or Text BFC followed by your message to 62277 and the operations team will be notified.