UK's Burnham wants ban on alcohol in football stands to be repealed

A ban on English football fans drinking in the stands during matches is outdated, discriminatory and should be scrapped, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said.

He believes it is unfair for football fans to be singled out when supporters of other sports were able to drink while watching their teams.

The ban was put in place during the 1980s when concerns about hooliganism were at their height and covers the top five tiers of English men's football.

But Everton fan Burnham said it was a measure from "an era when football was very different."

The Football Supporters' Association in England (FSA) welcomed the prime minister's words and said successful pilots of alcohol in the stands had been carried out in the women's game.

But police chiefs warned it would be "incredibly rash" to make changes without proper consultation with forces.

Burnham told reporters: "I don't think it's fair for football fans to be singled out in that way and I made that point.

"I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different.

"And I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done, perhaps on a trial basis.

"But I'm not going to back away from what's been a long-held view of mine. I don't see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently from others."

Click here to read article