Crowd disorder: How The FA Regulatory Commission approaches sanctions and what clubs can do to mitigate risk

Date: 23rd September 2026

With Crows disorder being in the spotlight  here in Scotland we  have been looking at what football authorities do elsewhere. We came across this interesting article  from England. It is well worth a read.

In^[1] the UK, large-scale pitch incursions (“pitch invasions”) can result in both criminal and regulatory investigations^[2]. On the regulatory side, it is primarily The FA’s Regulatory Commission that has the power to investigate and sanction football clubs,^[3] often by imposing hefty fines. However, a pitch invasion is not the only type of crowd disorder that clubs need to be aware of.  It is clear that chanting aggravated by reference to a protected characteristic (such as racist or homophobic chanting) creates significant risk for clubs too.

Clubs need to understand the risks associated with any FA Misconduct charge and think about ways to mitigate the potential dangers and adverse consequences, including reputational damage.

This article examines key learnings from some of the Regulatory Commission’s recent decisions on crowd disorder, and then explains what actions football clubs can take now to improve and promote good stadium safety and reduce risk of sanction:

 

 

Read the full article here:

https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/item/pitch-invasions-how-the-fa-regulatory-commission-approaches-sanctions-and-what-clubs-can-do-to-mitigate-risk

 

 

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