Wembley prepare special plan to prevent Just Stop Oil interrupting FA Cup final

30 May 2023 , 19:42
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Manchester City and Manchester United contest in the FA Cup final on Saturday (Image: Getty Images)
Manchester City and Manchester United contest in the FA Cup final on Saturday (Image: Getty Images)

Wembley are preparing to introduce 'sprinter stewards' at the FA Cup final to prevent any potential Just Stop Oil disruption - after another major event was interrupted over the weekend.

A protester invaded the Twickenham pitch in the Rugby Premiership final between Saracens and Sale on Saturday, before exploding orange powder over the playing surface. Fans were visibly frustrated as the game was delayed for over 10 minutes as the spectator was ushered off the pitch and the powder was removed.

Now, according to the Daily Mail, Wembley are set to deploy more measures to stop another protester invading the pitch and they have planned in the event it happens. That has played a major part in their planning for the game between Manchester United and Manchester City at the national stadium this weekend.

As well as the rail strikes and keeping peace between the two sets of fanbases, Wembley are ready to employ sprinter stewards to stop the protestor from intruding onto the field of play. The workers are specially trained in dealing with invaders and wear football boots or footwear that is designed to make them run faster.

Wembley have a number of other measures they can take to prevent and deal with any disruption that could potentially be caused by a disrupter. The incident at Twickenham was the latest of Just Stop Oil's protests after one also jumped onto a table at the World Championship in Snooker in April.

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It occurred during the Robert Milkins vs Joe Perry clash in the evening session on April 17. The game had only just got underway before the Just Stop Oil protester climbed from the stands and onto the surface.

They then threw a bag of coloured chalk onto the cloth and filling over half of the table - with all but four balls covered. After the protester was cleared, those at the tournament decided to remove every ball from the table and clean it, attempting to wipe every ounce of the orange chalk.

Wembley prepare special plan to prevent Just Stop Oil interrupting FA Cup finalA Just Stop Oil protestor invades the pitch during the Premiership Rugby final (David Rogers/Getty Images)

But the protest at Twickenham, alongside the other high-profile events, have seen Wembley take action. A statement read after the Premiership final: Two Just Stop Oil supporters have disrupted the Gallagher Premiership Rugby final. They are demanding a halt to any new licences for oil, gas and coal projects in the UK."

According to the statement, Dr Hart said: "I am doing this because it’s my duty as a doctor. The climate crisis is the greatest health crisis humanity has ever faced. People are dying now and more will die every day unless we stop new oil, gas and coal.

"In the same way, the tobacco companies lied to us that tobacco was safe, the scrum of fossil fuel companies and corrupt politicians have been lying to us. They are keeping us addicted to fossil fuels, even though they know it’s killing us.

"I am not prepared to let them get away with mass murder. We are ordinary people. We are the doctors and nurses who care for you when you are sick. I call on everyone to come and join us in the streets and be on the right side of history."

Kieran King

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