Post by Scott on Jun 30, 2006 13:53:21 GMT
Charlton officials will meet next month to discuss what measures to take with regard to Manchester United's away fans when they visit The Valley on August 23rd.
Last season's match between the two clubs in SE7 was marred by the behaviour of the travelling supporters.
Despite a reduction in United's ticket allocation for safety reasons, away fans still spilled out of the Jimmy Seed Stand and encroached on the pitch following the visitors' second goal - the third time in four seasons trouble had erupted in the fixture.
Six United fans were arrested amid scenes that also saw a steward injured as he attempted to quell the surge and a female member of staff sexually assaulted in an unrelated incident.
In the aftermath Charlton chief executive Peter Varney angrily revealed the club was contemplating banning United's supporters from future matches at The Valley.
So now, in conjunction with the police, Greenwich Council and the Football Licensing Authority, the Addicks will consider how to handle the upcoming season's fixture at The Valley on Tuesday, August 22nd (8pm).
"We have a number of options to consider, and obviously uppermost in our thoughts is our desire to minimise problems in the ground on the night," explained Varney.
"The safety of all fans is our paramount consideration, and obviously we are very aware of the troubles we have experienced with United fans in recent years."
Travelling Manchester United supporters have earned an unruly reputation, most notably for their insistence on standing while games are in progress which is in direct contravention of ground regulations.
Because a person who stands takes up more room in a row than someone sitting down, safety advice meant the club was unable to sell any of the seats directly next to an aisle for the match on November 19th, 2005.
This led to a reduction in the capacity of the south stand by 400 and the game was also attended by the largest number of security staff and stewards during the entire campaign - but it was not enough to avoid problems.
A large number of United supporters surged forwards following Ruud van Nistelrooy's goal and his provocative celebrations, breaking a metal gate and crushing a steward. As further stewards and security staff tried to restore order they were pelted with broken seats and spat upon, and the stewards were eventually withdrawn from the stand for their own safety.
"I'd rather have the away end empty than run the risk of further incidents," said Varney last season.
But the FA Premier League will not allow clubs to entirely refuse to allocate tickets to away teams or offer away clubs a seriously restricted number of tickets.
This week Varney added: "Now we have a date for the game we can discuss with a number of parties the best way to proceed ahead of what is undoubtedly an extremely exciting first home match of the season for us."
Ticket prices have yet to be finalised for the match and seats are not yet on sale.
But with a reduced away capacity a strong possibility, Varney was also keen to issue a warning to any Charlton season-ticket holders thinking of helping Red Devil-supporting friends, family or workmates to purchase seats elsewhere in the stadium.
"It's a real balancing act for us," admitted Peter. "In many ways reducing the away ticket allocation merely means that more United fans will try and get seats in home areas, which causes us an entirely different problem.
"I would hope that all Charlton season-ticket holders realise the very sensitive nature of our problem and will refrain from passing on their tickets or helping United fans. Any abuse of the system by home fans will be dealt with extremely severely by the club."
Back in 2002, another van Nistelrooy goal celebration led to a crowd surge at the away end that saw three fans injured and one steward assaulted.
And when United visited The Valley in 2003, both a male and female steward were the subject of physical assaults.
Last season's match between the two clubs in SE7 was marred by the behaviour of the travelling supporters.
Despite a reduction in United's ticket allocation for safety reasons, away fans still spilled out of the Jimmy Seed Stand and encroached on the pitch following the visitors' second goal - the third time in four seasons trouble had erupted in the fixture.
Six United fans were arrested amid scenes that also saw a steward injured as he attempted to quell the surge and a female member of staff sexually assaulted in an unrelated incident.
In the aftermath Charlton chief executive Peter Varney angrily revealed the club was contemplating banning United's supporters from future matches at The Valley.
So now, in conjunction with the police, Greenwich Council and the Football Licensing Authority, the Addicks will consider how to handle the upcoming season's fixture at The Valley on Tuesday, August 22nd (8pm).
"We have a number of options to consider, and obviously uppermost in our thoughts is our desire to minimise problems in the ground on the night," explained Varney.
"The safety of all fans is our paramount consideration, and obviously we are very aware of the troubles we have experienced with United fans in recent years."
Travelling Manchester United supporters have earned an unruly reputation, most notably for their insistence on standing while games are in progress which is in direct contravention of ground regulations.
Because a person who stands takes up more room in a row than someone sitting down, safety advice meant the club was unable to sell any of the seats directly next to an aisle for the match on November 19th, 2005.
This led to a reduction in the capacity of the south stand by 400 and the game was also attended by the largest number of security staff and stewards during the entire campaign - but it was not enough to avoid problems.
A large number of United supporters surged forwards following Ruud van Nistelrooy's goal and his provocative celebrations, breaking a metal gate and crushing a steward. As further stewards and security staff tried to restore order they were pelted with broken seats and spat upon, and the stewards were eventually withdrawn from the stand for their own safety.
"I'd rather have the away end empty than run the risk of further incidents," said Varney last season.
But the FA Premier League will not allow clubs to entirely refuse to allocate tickets to away teams or offer away clubs a seriously restricted number of tickets.
This week Varney added: "Now we have a date for the game we can discuss with a number of parties the best way to proceed ahead of what is undoubtedly an extremely exciting first home match of the season for us."
Ticket prices have yet to be finalised for the match and seats are not yet on sale.
But with a reduced away capacity a strong possibility, Varney was also keen to issue a warning to any Charlton season-ticket holders thinking of helping Red Devil-supporting friends, family or workmates to purchase seats elsewhere in the stadium.
"It's a real balancing act for us," admitted Peter. "In many ways reducing the away ticket allocation merely means that more United fans will try and get seats in home areas, which causes us an entirely different problem.
"I would hope that all Charlton season-ticket holders realise the very sensitive nature of our problem and will refrain from passing on their tickets or helping United fans. Any abuse of the system by home fans will be dealt with extremely severely by the club."
Back in 2002, another van Nistelrooy goal celebration led to a crowd surge at the away end that saw three fans injured and one steward assaulted.
And when United visited The Valley in 2003, both a male and female steward were the subject of physical assaults.
