Daily Archives: January 31, 2026

Cages, crushes and stabbings – is European away safety getting worse?


“Football fans across the country dream of following their club in Europe, seeing them take on the cream of the continent’s crop alongside friends and family. But European away trips aren’t all sunshine, sangria and singalongs – in recent years, there have been a number of significant security incidents in which fans’ safety has been put at risk. The 2022 Champions League final became a ‘near mass fatality catastrophe’ due to poor organisation by Uefa and French authorities, while in the years since, fans of Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle have strongly criticised policing and security measures at matches in Istanbul, Lyon and Marseille respectively. Earlier this season, fans were even barred from attending some away matchesin the Champions League amid ‘extremely worrying’ security trends which some believe are worsening, stripping fans of dignity and in some cases leading to dangerous situations. …”
BBC (Video)

Marseille matches are often heavily policed

‘Thrilling, relentless, unpredictable’: The Championship is the league of opportunity

Coventry players celebrate during their Championship win over Leicester this month
“Neil Warnock, with four promotions to the top flight on his managerial CV, admits this might not be a vintage year for quality teams in the Championship. But this confirmed fan of the English game’s second tier insists the campaign is shaping up to be another classic for a competition where fans have long since learnt to expect the unexpected. … Warnock, the manager who has got the most teams promoted in English professional football history (eight), makes a good point about the 2024-25 campaign. Champions Leeds United and runners-up Burnley bagged 100 points apiece, while Sheffield United became only the third team in Championship history to earn 90 points but fail to go up, after losing to fourth-placed Sunderland in the play-off final. …”
NY Times/The Athletic (Video)