Rochdale Football Club would like to send a clear message to supporters that the type of anti-social behaviour seen at Saturday’s game against Scunthorpe United will not be tolerated.
It is a criminal offence to enter the field of play and the club has been working with Greater Manchester Police and Scunthorpe United since the weekend to identify those involved.
The two individuals identified as confronting an opposition player will be subject to an 18 month stadium ban at the Crown Oil Arena, and may be subject to a future football banning order following further consultation with Greater Manchester Police.
We continue to investigate others who also encroached onto the pitch.
Rochdale Football Club was also made aware of an alleged assault on a minor by a Rochdale fan in a licensed premises in Scunthorpe prior to the fixture. This individual will be given an automatic lifetime stadium ban if found guilty.
The EFL has recently issued a statement (below) regarding fan behaviour at clubs across the country and we fully endorse their message.
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’.