Ipswich Town fans banned for standing

By Jonathan Barnes

TWO football fans have been banned from Ipswich Town's next home match for persistent standing.

Four other Blues supporters have received verbal warnings for refusing to sit down in the all-seater Portman Road stadium.

The two fans, whom the club said had received several warnings about their actions, will be forced to miss Monday's home match with Preston North End.

Season ticket holders were warned at the start of the season that persistent standing would not be tolerated at the ground.

The Football Licensing Authority, which oversees safety and crowd management issues at stadiums, said sections of the ground could be closed down if clubs failed to take action on standing.

Terry Baxter, Ipswich Town spokesman, said: “We made fans aware at the beginning of the season that the Football Licensing Authority were taking very seriously the issue of persistent standing at football grounds and have followed up on our warnings.”

Supporters in the North Stand received a letter from the club with their season tickets warning of the consequences of standing up throughout matches.

They were told anyone persistently standing would first receive a verbal warning from a steward, then a further warning before being ejected from the stadium and banned from future games.

But the letter said it was acceptable for fans to take to their feet “during periods of excitement or celebration”.

However, the proposals did not go down well with some supporters, many of whom would like to see a return of designated standing areas inside Portman Road.

jonathan.barnes@eadt.co.uk