Oldham man becomes first person charged with tailgating after Manchester City Carabao Cup win

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Entering a football match without a ticket has now become a criminal offence

A man from Oldham has been arrested and charged over a 'tailgating' incident at the Man City Wembley match on Sunday afternoon (March 22). In the first charge of its kind, the man was arrested by Met Police officers following the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.

It comes after entering a football match in England and Wales without a ticket became a criminal offence under new laws on March 22. The legislation was introduced because of serious disorder that tainted the European Championship final between England and Italy at Wembley in July 2021, when thousands of fans barged into the stadium.

The man, aged in his 20s was arrested at the final and has since been charged. Benjamin Bailey, 27, of Fifth Avenue in Oldham, Manchester, will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on May 1 in connection with the alleged offence.

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Two other men were arrested on suspicion of the same offence at Wembley and they both remain in police custody to be questioned. Those convicted of tailgating face a football banning order of up to five years, alongside a fine of up to £1,000.

The Metropolitan Police said it saw a 78 per cent reduction in offences at this year’s final. In total, 20 arrests were made, including seven for affray, one for assault of an emergency service worker, and one for racially aggravated assault. This is compared to 91 arrests at the same fixture last year.

Chief Inspector Pete Dearden, of the Met’s public order unit and match commander at Wembley, said: “So much strategic planning goes into these operations. We expect high standards and every officer delivered that today.

"Huge changes have been implemented since last year, and we will now use the success of the policing operation today as a blueprint throughout the busy summer at Wembley so fans can safely enjoy upcoming fixtures.”