14 March 2023 , 17:49
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Toilets at a league football ground were so covered in cocaine they “looked like a laundrette”, MPs were told tonight.
A parliamentary panel investigating safety at major sporting events raised fears about growing drug use and drunkenness at British stadiums.
Meanwhile, a Government minister pledged to “explore” drawing up guidelines which could lead to prayer rooms and special areas for autistic people being created at grounds.
A Conservative MP on the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee revealed it had heard worrying accounts of drug abuse inside grounds.
Tory backbencher Jane Stevenson told Sports Minister Stuart Andrew: “In cricket there was a report that antisocial behaviour has risen, and there was a connection with cocaine use in stadiums.
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Sports Minister Stuart Andrew (PA)“(The) Football Safety Officers Association said at Cambridge United the gents toilets looked like a laundrette there was so much powder everywhere.
“How are we going to monitor drug use as well as alcohol consumption inside stadiums?”
Committee chairman Damian Green warned of “complacency”, fearing: “We’re going back to the bad old days.”
He said: “Both data and anecdotes suggest that in football there’s more hooliganism than there was a few years ago - it came back after the pandemic; in cricket we’ve now seen it in T20 - mass drunkenness in some places; we’ve had horse racing evidence - we’ve all seen pictures of fairly deplorable scenes at some race meetings.
"It feels as though, around sport, bad behaviour is on the rise among fans.”
Mr Andrew said fans’ conduct at matches was “of high importance to the Government”.
He said drug taking at fixtures had increased since the coronavirus pandemic, insisting: “We are seeing it across Europe, it’s not unique just to us.”
The minister pointed to football banning orders meaning supporters caught with drugs can be blocked from attending matches in the same way as if they had been convicted of hooliganism.
MPs first heard the allegation about fans’ drug taking at Cambridge United late last year when the Football Safety Officers Association’ head of operations Peter Houghton gave evidence to the committee.
The club's chairman of the board Shaun Grady said at the time: “There was an issue in the away section of the stadium at a game last season and, whilst there appears to be a nationwide increase in drug use at football grounds across the country, the club is confident that suitable measures are in place to tackle the problem and are pleased that incidents have reduced so far this season.”
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A Cambridge United spokesman tonight told the Mirror: “We are pleased that since the original report, there has been zero reports of substance abuse at the stadium.”
The MPs’ inquiry was partly triggered by French authorities’ handling of fans at last year’s Champions League final.
Chaos erupted outside the Stade de France before kick off between Liverpool and Real Madrid on May 28, 2022.
Eyewitnesses compared the scenes to the Hillsborough tragedy 33 years earlier.
Liverpool fans were unable to get to their seats in time leading to the Champions League final being delayed (AFP via Getty Images)The Champions League fiasco came 10 months after England’s European Championship final defeat to Italy at Wembley was marred by ticketless fans breaching security and bribing stewards to gain entry.
Committee chairman Mr Green feared the Wembley shambles may have harmed England’s bid to stage other big tournaments.
But Mr Andrew said: “Obviously what happened was totally unacceptable.
“But the fact we have all the frameworks in place meant that quite rapidly each of those responsible bodies absolutely kicked in to review what had gone wrong, to learn those lessons and put measures in place.”
He added: “We have a good - excellent - reputation for holding major events.
“The fact that where something may go wrong we will review that very quickly shows that we don’t shy away from it and I hope we will give confidence that this is a great place to hold events.”
Labour’s Rupa Huq called for match days to be “more family-friendly” and inclusive.
Labour MP Rupa Huq (ITV)She asked if guidelines could be drawn up so prayer rooms could be provided at grounds, along with special areas for autistic fans and creches for kids.
“Isn’t there an argument for minimum standards? Other evidence we have had - people want quiet spaces for neuro-divergent fans, prayer rooms, all sorts of things,” she said.
Mr Andrew told her: “These are things we should certainly be exploring.”
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