Manchester United have finished top of a 'league of shame' for match-day arrests.
The champions had more fans held by police than any other team in the Premier League during last season – almost twice as many as second-placed Sunderland.
The figures, released by the Home Office show that the number of United supporters arrested rocketed from 165 in the 2009-10 season to 276 last year.
Some 117 fans were held at home games and 159 at away matches.
The vast majority of the arrests were for alcohol offences (127), followed by violent disorder (63), ticket touting (26), pitch invasions (20), public disorder (15) and possessing offensive weapons (11).
City joined United in the top four of the list - with 108 arrests last season.
Bolton had 52 fans arrested and Wigan 27.
Outside the top flight, Rochdale had seven arrests, Stockport five and Bury just one.
United said the figures should be seen in context of the fact Old Trafford had a bigger capacity than any other ground.
A club spokesman said: "These figures should be presented as a percentage of the stadium’s crowd, rather than as individual figures."
Mark Longden, from the independent Manchester United supporters association blamed the high number of arrests on 'over-zealous' policing at football grounds.
He said: "We're one of the very few teams that sells out their ticket allocation wherever we go.
"We all have our bad eggs but I think most sections of supporters are the same. The main issue is over-zealous policing.
"The way supporters are policed in general is conducive to getting arrested. The police release these figures every year which are designed to show football supporters to be hooligans carrying bricks and knives.
"It's in their interests to talk up the aggro."
Manchester City declined to comment.
The figures also showed that 23 fans were arrested in the Premier League for racist or indecent chanting – including two United fans.
| Total number of arrests - home and away | |
|---|---|
| Manchester United | 276 |
| Sunderland | 126 |
| Newcastle | 123 |
| Manchester City | 108 |
| Arsenal | 107 |
| Aston Villa | 103 |
| Birmingham City | 74 |
| Chelsea | 74 |
| Stoke City | 70 |
| West Ham | 68 |
| Liverpool | 66 |
| Bolton Wanderers | 52 |
| Wolves | 50 |
| Tottenham Hotspur | 48 |
| Everton | 45 |
| Blackburn Rovers | 37 |
| West Brom | 35 |
| Wigan Athletic | 27 |
| Blackpool | 26 |
| Fulham | 12 |
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Bothered!!!
But we also have twice the number of fans in the stadium than any other team!!
Ha Typical United...."The main issue is over-zealous policing"....always blame someone else when something goes wrong. No class.
Well at least it shows yoonited are top at something !
What a lovely bunch of quality supporters.
hands up if your surprised?
no.. no one??
What is the arrest rate ratio per number of attendees?
Absolutely meaningless statistic and story and yet another example of the MEN's anti United bias. If you get 76,000 every game its a fair bet your going to get more arrests than a team that gets 40,000. Doh!
What other leisure activity leads to so many arrests? I think a lot of people need to wake up to the fact that watching a football game isn't a license to behave like an out of control teenager.
Good work again lads, always nice to top this one. Slightly destroys the myths that the bitters like to spin
Cockney wide boys larging it up in Trafford.
At least they are top of the league for something?!
Man City Xmas No.1
Well, I guess we will see evidence of Yoonited's top of the shame league in the upcoming FA Cup game, no doubt those that dress in black and their hangers on will try to get in the City pubs early doors and slap a few kids and women about as they make their way home in their big gang.............?!
159 arrests AWAY from home. That is more than any other team got in total, so nothing whatsoever to do with the size of the swamp!
Anybody with a scrap of intelligence would be able to work out that, arrests per fan, Yoonited would still be top of the list of shame! Man Ure, 1 in 275 fans. Sunderland 1 in 396 fans,. Newcastle 1 in 422 fans and City 1 in 452 fans! So, yes, you do get more muppets watching you, but you also get far more muppets per muppet arrested!
Show exactly why the FA egreed the ticket allocation for FA cup 8th Jan with City. Same old yoonited always blaming someone else. CTID
We're a raucous bunch, so what? I'd be disappointed if we weren't at the top. Some people go the football like it's a trip to the theatre, some people like some fun. I'm in the latter category.
Now where have the MEN got these figures from because I have just looked at the same report and this is it here:- http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/football-arrests-banning-orders/fbo-2009-10?view=Binary
It shows for the 2009/10 season Manchester United had 165 arrests which represents 0.22% of average attendance whilst manchester City had 118 arrests or 0.26% of average attendance.
Keyboard hero time.....
And the blue scum pipe up on here talking about us having no class!....Who was it again who pushed a police officer on to the tracks at Wigan station? Have a guess folks he was a blue! And all the trouble at the Middlesbrough game a few seasons back when there was kids in the crowd! oh and a little tip stop walking around in your replica training tops jackets and hats you look like chavy scruffs
And the blue scum pipe up on here talking about us having no class!....Who was it again who pushed a police officer on to the tracks at Wigan station? Have a guess folks he was a blue! (from Stockport) And all the trouble at the Middlesbrough game a few seasons back when there was kids in the crowd! oh and a little tip stop walking around in your replica training tops jackets and hats you look like chav scruffs!!!
Is the Editor a city fan ?
decant my last post, finally found the current stats, not easy as the home office search engine tends to go to most popular. But I do note that majority of offences are for drinking, whilst more serious offences are very small incidences such missle throwing 1 at United and 4 at City, the serious stuff violent disorder 9 at city and 15 at United which is miniscule with average crowds of 124,000.
Away from manchester when comparing the arrests with Merseyside we see a marked difference, whereas in manchester the number of arrests at home matches has gone up by on average 40%, in Merseyside the number of arrests have fallen to roughly 25% of the season before. Have scousers suddenly started behaving? Over the 12 months pitch incursions halved at City but doubled at United.
all the stats here:- http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/football-arrests-banning-orders/fbo-2010-11?view=Binary
This is nothing to be proud of!!
Loving all the sad old reds on here, proud to be top of this league of shame. Still think its cool to chase lads around footy grounds, you see them at the games and its embarrassing, fat, bald men in their 40's dressed like teenagers, snarling at people.
Just proves what everyone knows about utd fans - arrogant idiots.
To all of those who say ' it's because utd get bigger crowds' then do your maths. Why have they got more than twice any other clubs arrests, their crowds are twice as big as Arsenal ( 60,000 ), Newcastle (50,000), City (47000), Liverpool (45000), Chelsea ( 42,000), unless owed toilet now holds more than 84,000?
Dont ask city fans to count! they can only get to 11 fingers! And united attendence in one match is equivalent to 4 at say craven cottage!