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Vital Football Legend
Football's long-standing ban on fans drinking alcohol while watching matches could reportedly be lifted if the recommendations of former sports minister Tracey Crouch's fan-led review are accepted.
The ban has been in place since 1985 when the game was plagued by hooliganism, but Crouch's independent review will call for pilot schemes to allow drinking at clubs in the National League Premier and League Two with a view to ending the restrictions across all divisions, according to The Times.
Though drinking continues to be allowed at sports such as rugby and cricket, Crouch's proposals will spark debate - particularly after the crowd trouble during the Euro 2020 final at Wembley this summer - but the MP believes the current rules encourage binge-drinking and are part of the problem.
'Our view on alcohol and football is outdated,' Crouch told the Times.
'It's not helped when you see scenes like we did at Wembley. But that's why I would pilot it first.
Crouch added: 'We kettle people into drinking quickly at half-time. And that is the unhealthy aspect of the football fan's relationship with alcohol. They drink a lot in a short space of time. So my recommendation is to pilot this and not have to down a pint at half-time.'
The ban has been in place since 1985 when the game was plagued by hooliganism, but Crouch's independent review will call for pilot schemes to allow drinking at clubs in the National League Premier and League Two with a view to ending the restrictions across all divisions, according to The Times.
Though drinking continues to be allowed at sports such as rugby and cricket, Crouch's proposals will spark debate - particularly after the crowd trouble during the Euro 2020 final at Wembley this summer - but the MP believes the current rules encourage binge-drinking and are part of the problem.
'Our view on alcohol and football is outdated,' Crouch told the Times.
'It's not helped when you see scenes like we did at Wembley. But that's why I would pilot it first.
Crouch added: 'We kettle people into drinking quickly at half-time. And that is the unhealthy aspect of the football fan's relationship with alcohol. They drink a lot in a short space of time. So my recommendation is to pilot this and not have to down a pint at half-time.'
