Football Supporters' Association rebukes police unit for invoking Hillsborough in alcohol debate

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has publicly rebuked the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) for invoking the Hillsborough disaster in its response to calls for the law on drinking in football stadiums to be relaxed, saying the tragedy “was not caused by alcohol. Full stop.”

The row erupted after Prime Minister Andy Burnham described the existing rules — which prohibit fans from consuming alcohol in view of the pitch — as “outdated and discriminatory” and called for them to be scrapped. The FSA immediately backed his position.

The UKFPU urged caution in a statement that referenced the Taylor Report, the inquiry commissioned in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in which 97 Liverpool supporters were unlawfully killed. The unit warned it would be “incredibly rash to make fundamental changes without a full examination of the evidence”, citing the Taylor Report alongside other post-tragedy legislative changes as reasons the current framework exists.

The FSA pushed back sharply in a thread posted to its X account, arguing that the UKFPU’s framing misrepresented the causes of Hillsborough. “Fans were ‘unlawfully killed and a catalogue of failings by police and the ambulance services contributed to their deaths’,” the association wrote, quoting the findings of the Hillsborough Independent Panel.

Facing the backlash, a UKFPU spokesperson sought to clarify the unit’s position: “It was not our intention to link the issue of alcohol with the Hillsborough tragedy. The laws around alcohol, which we acknowledge were first introduced in 1985, are one of a range of measures in addition to the subsequent Taylor Report recommendations that have contributed to making football much safer for fans in this country.”

The FSA also argued that the current law applies an unfair double standard to football supporters. “It’s unfair to criminalise fans for having a pint — especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league,” the organisation said, adding that it is “fundamentally sceptical of any law which is only targeted at football supporters.”

The association stopped short of calling for a blanket change, however, saying that individual clubs should be given the choice to serve alcohol in stands in consultation with their own supporters, and acknowledging that some areas — such as family sections — might not be appropriate for alcohol sales.

Burnham’s intervention has reignited a long-running debate among match-going fans, with strongly differing views expressed across social media since his comments were published.