Man banned from football grounds after making Nazi salute at MK Dons fans

A man who made a racist gesture during a match between AFC Wimbledon and Milton Keynes Dons has been banned from football grounds for three years.

42-year-old Alan Strank, of Guildford, Surrey appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court yesterday (November 3) where he pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence under Section 4 of the Public Order Act. Including the ground ban, Strank will have to do 50 hours of community service in and pay a £180 fine.

The court heard that during the match, which took place on April 9 at the Cherry Red Records Stadium, Strank was seen making a Nazi salute towards the MK Dons supporters. An investigation was launched after officers saw Strank salute when they reviewed body-worn camera and CCTV footage after the match.

Investigating officer Police Constable James Crawley said: “Racism has no place within football, or indeed in society, and those who engage in such behaviour should be under no illusion that they are committing a crime. The consequences of that crime were clearly demonstrated today.”

PC Crawley added: “Genuine football fans and players are fed up with this kind of toxic discourse surrounding the game and we will use all the policing powers available to us to stop it from happening.”