UK's PM Sees 'Discrimination' in Beer Ban at Soccer Matches

Soccer fans in England and Wales may soon be allowed to sip a pint from their seats for the first time in four decades. As CBS News reports, Prime Minister Andy Burnham, speaking in New York on Wednesday, called the long-standing ban on drinking alcohol in view of the pitch "discrimination" and floated the idea of trial runs to relax it at high-level men's matches. The restriction, imposed by Margaret Thatcher's government in 1985 amid a crackdown on hooliganism, applies only to men's soccer in the top five divisions, notes the BBC; fans can drink on concourses but not in their seats, and no other sport faces the same limits.

The Football Supporters' Association, which says the law unfairly "criminalizes football fans for having a pint," welcomed the remarks from Burnham, himself a big fan and season-ticketholder of Everton, and argues many clubs support change. A pilot program in the Women's Super League has already led to fans being allowed to drink in the stands this season. Police, however, warn that alcohol still fuels a minority of violent behavior at men's games and say that loosening the rules without detailed evidence and consultation would be "incredibly rash." A fan-led review in 2021 also urged a fresh look at the law, and Scotland has already tested a limited reintroduction of alcohol at some matches.