Manchester United Fans Lead 2024-25 Season in Football-Related Arrests, Home Office Data Shows

Manchester United Tops the List for Fan Arrests

If you thought Manchester United was only battling for top spots on the pitch, think again. The club's fans have claimed an unwanted title: most football-related arrests in England and Wales for the 2024-25 season. Home Office figures point to 121 arrests linked to Man United supporters, putting them ahead of every other club in the country. That’s not just a random stat—it’s a sign of the challenges clubs and police face when it comes to fan behavior, especially during high-profile matches.

Close on United’s heels, Manchester City supporters found themselves arrested 94 times over the season. West Ham came in third, notching up 77 arrests, while Chelsea and Aston Villa rounded out the top five with 76 and 71, respectively. The surge at Villa Park is especially striking—just a season ago, Villa fans had only 26 arrests. This year’s sharp jump raises plenty of questions about what’s changing in the stands and why fan trouble is spiking in certain places even as the national numbers fall.

Arrests Drop Nationwide—but Issues Persist

Look beyond the club rivalries, and there’s an interesting trend: overall, football-related arrests actually dropped by 11% compared to the previous year. Across all league and cup matches, there were 1,932 incidents recorded. On one hand, that’s a step in the right direction. On the other, the stubborn presence of violence, disorder, and drug use at games underlines the need for more than just statistics to fix the problem.

West Ham didn’t just feature high on the arrest charts—they’re leading when it comes to legal action, too. The club has 112 active football banning orders in effect, more than any of their rivals. During the season alone, West Ham handed down 39 new banning orders, while Chelsea and Manchester United handed out 31 and 28, respectively. These bans are meant to keep troublemakers away from grounds, but the numbers suggest enforcement might not be deterring everyone.

Drugs are also part of the story. Manchester United had 27 arrests tied to possession of Class A drugs, the most among Premier League clubs. It’s not just about punch-ups and pitch invasions—fan misbehavior now includes issues that mirror wider problems in society.

So, while arrests dipped overall, these latest numbers tell a mixed story. Supporters, clubs, the police, and the league all have more work to do to tackle persistent trouble spots and make matchdays safer for everyone. Whether the focus is on Villa Park’s spike in arrests or West Ham’s stack of banning orders, the call for action rings louder than ever.