Disruptive fans told to ‘stay away’ after EFL crowd trouble

A smoke grenade was set off in the MK Dons end of supporters after Scott Twine scored at Adams Park on Saturday

The EFL has told fans intent on causing trouble at games they are not welcome in the future.

Dons’ 1-0 win over Wycombe Wanderers on Saturday was overshadowed by the stoppage in play caused when Adebayo Akinfenwa reacted to offensive chants aimed in his direction, and a smoke flare was set off in the away end following Scott Twine’s goal.

And there were plenty of other games marred by supporter troubles. Officials came under fire when objects were thrown at an assistant referee in front of the Rotherham fans at Crewe, while West Brom fans threw smoke flares onto the pitch in their game against Millwall.

Releasing a statement on Sunday, the EFL said: “Following multiple incidents of inappropriate and reckless crowd behaviour on Saturday the EFL will work with the relevant authorities and respective Clubs to ensure those responsible are held to account.

“Any form of anti-social behaviour is unacceptable and whilst these instances only represent a very small section of people attending matches, the mindless few who choose to behave in this way are only demonstrating a complete lack of respect for the Clubs they claim to support.

“Our message is simple – those intent on causing trouble are not welcome at our matches and we ask you to ‘Stay Away’.

“Anyone found to be behaving offensively at a football match can expect to be dealt with by the police and the club, who will continue to work closely with supporter groups to address the causes of violence from individual fans and will always support prosecutions when that is the appropriate course of action to take.

“The EFL is disappointed that on a day when the footballing focus was on our League competition, the discussion is once again about matters off the pitch.

“We will continue to work with closely and collaboratively with our Clubs, safety advisory groups and local police forces to ensure security operations in place are robust and effective, whilst also providing support when any incidents do occur.”