New fan laws: What do we think?

The Cohort is tucked away in the corner of the stands
Can't say anything for sure about those Demons

amberfox6 said:Can someone who actually knows what happened explain the whole situation with The Cohort and the Demons?
I mean—what specifically? Like, regarding the vouchers or just their presence in the stands?

I already posted this in another thread, so I'll just drop it here.
It’s about The Cohort down in Columbus. Just like everyone else, they didn't take the vouchers.
The Cohort showed up in Columbus in pretty decent numbers—we saw them all over town since morning, and we tried stepping in to help them out with the ticket situation.
We bought a bunch of tickets for them, though some went to the box office themselves, but getting into the stadium was a total mess. The cops blocked off that far right entrance where the away fans usually go—and honestly, where locals go too—leaving only the main gate open.
Of course, the police completely screwed it up; they were pulling aside any younger face they didn't recognize (they knew us locals, obviously, and gave us these nasty looks when they realized we were helping The Cohort with tickets) and demanding IDs. They had some list they kept checking constantly, and based on that, they'd let The Cohort members up to the stands. But—of course—not through the main gate; they basically funneled them one by one through a side entrance and tucked them away up above the cages...

Paul Chavez78 said:I already posted this on another thread, so I'm just going to paste it here.
It’s about The Cohort in Columbus. Just like everyone else, their vouchers were rejected.
The Cohort showed up in Columbus in pretty decent numbers; we saw them all over town since morning, and we kept approaching them to help out with ticket issues.
We bought plenty of tickets for them, and some went to the box office themselves, but getting into the stands was a nightmare. The cops shut down that far-right entrance they usually use for both away fans and home supporters, leaving only the main gate open.
Naturally, the police completely screwed it up. They pulled aside any younger person they didn't recognize—they already knew us locals and gave us nasty looks when they realized we were helping The Cohort with tickets—to demand ID. They had some kind of list that they kept checking constantly, and based on that, they would let members of The Cohort up to the stands. But of course, they didn't use the main entrance; they funneled them through a separate entrance bit by bit and tucked them away up above the cages...

That list contained everyone who had been banned since bans first became a thing. Basically, at the gate, the guard asks for your ID, and if you're from Indianapolis, they pass you off to the wall of officers checking whether your ban has expired or not. There was even a case where a guy had no actual ban, but he was on the list because of some arbitrary police discretion, leaving them to decide on a whim whether to let him in or not.

Dana Richardson89 said:Not sure if this is the right thread for this, but it felt appropriate.
The whole fan movement—organized cheering, choreographies, the chaos, the flares—it all kicked off in England and Italy about 40 years ago before spreading across the continent. Every year, more clubs picked up organized supporter groups that ran the show, set the visuals, and lit the pyrotechnics. For a while, those flares were just part of the atmosphere; nobody treated them like a crime or a massive issue back then. For example, when Liverpool FC celebrated their centennial, the entire city was lighting flares to celebrate; it was part of the tradition and nobody blinked. Now, when a few individuals light them at a stadium, it’s treated like a national security threat because they've been labeled a "problem." Today, English and Italian fans aren't even a shadow of what they were 40 years ago thanks to draconian laws. It started there, spread through Europe, and now it's coming for everyone else. The groups that haven't faced heavy-handed repression yet aren't doing much, likely knowing they're next in line. UEFA is slowly choking the life out of the fan movement, and hardly anyone is stepping up to stop it. We're facing the total end of the fan culture we know simply because groups are being picked off one by one, and others won't act until it hits their own doorstep. UEFA punishes clubs whose fans light flares—which is basically the symbol of the movement—so now you rarely see them in major European matches. Soon, the flares will be gone entirely. These supporter groups lack unity, which makes it easy to dismantle them piece by piece. Think about it: if, say, in the Champions League quarterfinals, every group whose club made it lit 10–15 flares and forced a stoppage, UEFA wouldn't be able to do a thing. If they stopped every match, the tournament would just be postponed. They can't ban every single club. They can kick out two or three teams, but they can't kick out 10–15 (you can't have a Champions League without the likes of Real Madrid, Chelsea, Bayern, or Inter). Only solidarity can save the fan movement, but it might be too late. We might just be sitting here with our arms crossed. In a year or two, the "fans" won't exist anymore; it'll just be a football theater curated by a small circle of elites for the ultra-rich, and we'll be left wondering where it all went wrong. FREEDOM FOR THE FAN MOVEMENT!electricpanther37 (I was writing this while heated, so excuse me if I'm blunt, but I hope you get the point)

👍

Steven Richardson3 said:That list includes everyone who’s ever been banned since they started handing them out. Usually, the security guard at the gate asks for an ID, then passes it to the officer over by the wall to check if any bans are still active. There was even a case where some kid didn't actually have a ban, but he ended up on the list because the cops decided he looked suspicious. At that point, it’s just their call whether you get in or not.

So, from what I can gather, if Person X got banned years ago, the cops can just decide they're a "threat to society"—haha—and block them from the stands whenever they feel like it, even without a formal court order?

electricpanther37 said:So, if I'm following this correctly, even if someone had a ban years ago, if the cops decide they're considered a "threat to society," they can basically just bar them from the stands on their own whim, regardless of whether there's an actual court order in place? haha

Yes, ☕that's
exactly how it works.

The issue is that specific line claiming "police have knowledge." That’s straight-up unconstitutional. If there’s an actual ruling, fine, but what kind of bullshit "knowledge" are we even talking about?

They’re basically just saying "we saw them on camera" while they're out of the country. It’s zero logic.

This whole mess needs to be challenged at the Supreme Court, or if that fails, take it to Brussels.

FINALLY!!!
🙏🙏🙏 for everyone! All the way to the end...

Man, I just saw this... 👍

I guess it's obvious now. The war was lost before it even started.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.n...08389124_n.jpg

The real fight is just getting started... they’re going to have a hell of a time trying to snuff out our ideals, honestly. We just have to stay stubborn and keep pushing. 🙂

So, I was scrolling through the news earlier and stumbled onto this mess regarding the new fan legislation being pushed through. Apparently, they’re giving everyone a 60-day window to get their acts together before the hammer drops. Typical. Just another way for the suits to tighten the leash on us... It feels like every time we turn around, there's some new regulation designed to make life harder for actual supporters while the big shots at places like Real Madrid just keep doing whatever they want. It’s always the same cycle. They promise "safety" and "order," but we all know what that really means. It means more red tape and less freedom to actually enjoy the game. I mean, honestly... how many times can they try to reinvent the wheel? We've seen these types of moves before. They talk about preventing people from attempting unauthorized entry or keeping things "civil," but it always feels like a power grab disguised as common sense. It’s exhausting. You start to wonder if they even care about the culture of the sport anymore, or if it's all just about control and avoiding any kind of headache for the sponsors... Anyway, just my two cents. Probably won't change a thing. Everything's heading toward a headache, isn't it?

The union is out there pushing hard to make insulting cops a full-blown criminal offense... though they’re spinning it as this big win for legal protection for officers. Honestly? It feels like more paperwork to me. Under this new legislative proposal, we're looking at fines hitting up to... well, you know how these things go. Just more red tape in an already messy system... Either a fifteen thousand dollar fine or sixty days behind bars... just like that. Seems a bit extreme, doesn't it?...and what about physical assault? You looking at $3,000 for that too? Just goes to show how nothing ever adds up in this system... $2000 Either you're looking at 40 days behind bars. But if you go and pull some violent stunt—I'm talking a group brawl or some masked lunatic coming at you—then yeah, they’ll double that sentence in a heartbeat...

Goddammit! 🙂 🙂
So, I was at the Real Madrid game against that Dragovljac squad, right? And I’m standing maybe two or three feet away from this absolute piece of work—this total rat... he’s whispering in the security guards' ears, basically feeding them lines. He’s telling the cops to film the guys shouting stuff like "we're gonna tear you police boys apart like stray dogs," just so they have some footage to throw in our faces when we're trying to head out of the stadium later... unbelievable...

Hey everyone, I’m new here, so forgive me if this has already been covered, but I have a question regarding my ban...
Here’s the situation: There was a match between South Korea and the US at 1:00 PM, and since I was working seasonal shifts, I completely lost track of when it was kicking off...
I’m currently serving a one-year ban, but I didn't show up to check in at the station for this specific game. My ban is actually for wearing certain political symbols during a national team game, and I’ve already paid the $2233 fine. What kind of trouble am I looking at now, and is there any way to get out of this... Thanks.

If you're heading out of town for games played outside the US, there’s no need to check in—you won't be slapped with any new penalties...

Article 25.
The police have the authority to act against anyone who identifies as a fan or wears team gear. It’s all part of the new fan legislation. The law states that if someone shows up to a sporting event acting like they're under the influence or just generally breaking the rules, officials have the right to identify them. I saw this happen once at a game in San Diego—police had to step in because a guy couldn't stay upright. It’s all part of the standard fan legislation. Security will check her for alcohol, drugs, fireworks, weapons, or anything else that could cause injury or stir up trouble. They’ll also seize any banners, flags, or symbols carrying racist messages or hate speech. Once they've cleared her out, she'll be escorted off public transit. It’s the same old story—just more paperwork for everyone involved. They should just ban her from the stadium entirely. The rules state that if you're caught attempting unauthorized entry, they can hold you there for up to two hours after the game ends. Just my luck, I'm sure.

Just one more thing, then I'm out. 😁
So, you don't identify as a fan and you aren't wearing any gear. That leaves the police with nothing but guesswork.

I’m not smart enough to figure out if that bolded part above is actually one single sentence.
So, does this police "assumption" apply to everything they claim, or are they legally required to assume you're under the influence?
What would it even mean if you were just stumbling around with some bag that made people think you were driving under the influence? Basically, you'd be flagged for unlawful conduct.

The phrase "for which he assumes is attending a sporting event" lacks an "or." It's grammatically incomplete. I saw this kind of sloppy drafting once back when I was working legal clerkship in Chicago; they always miss the small stuff.
It’s just a comma. It leaves me wondering if those assumptions apply to the illegal conduct mentioned above, or if what follows the comma is meant to be an entirely separate clause.

If you don't carry any official supporter credentials, haven't identified yourself as a fan, and aren't breaking any laws, there’s simply no legal basis to bar you from an away game just because you decided not to show up. It’s really that simple.

I suppose one of you actually understood what I was getting at. 🤣

They’re busy pushing through new laws while we aren't even given a seat at the table to discuss what happens next.

Section 39.a (1) Any individual committing the following offenses shall be subject to a fine ranging from $5,000.00 to $8333 or imprisonment for a term of no less than 30 days and no more than 60 days:

1. Throwing objects onto the field or into the spectator areas of a sports venue (Section 4, Subsection 1, Item 6),

2. Singing songs or shouting messages at players or other spectators that express or incite hatred based on race, nationality, region, or religion (Section 4, Subsection 1, Item 7),

3. Lighting or throwing pyrotechnics (Section 4, Subsection 1, Item 8),

4. Lighting or otherwise destroying fan gear or other property (Section 4, Subsection 1, Item 9),

5. attempting unauthorized entry or entering the field, spectator areas, or restricted zones intended for officials or other participants (Section 4, Subsection 1, Item 10).

So basically, you could face 30 days in jail just for lighting a flare now..

Man, this is just beautiful.

It doesn't even matter—we’ve all banded together now, so there's no way this is going to fly 🙄

Nathan Foster23 said:While we can't even sit down together to figure out our next move, they're busy passing new laws.

Section 39.a (1) A fine ranging from $5,000.00 to $8333 or imprisonment for a term of at least 30 days up to 60 days shall be imposed on any individual who:

So basically, you could face 30 days behind bars just for holding a flare now..

The whole jail thing isn't actually new. It’s been this way for a while—either a fine or at least 30 days in jail.

Nathan Foster23 said:They’re cranking out new laws while we can’t even get in the same room to figure out our next move!

Section 39.a (1) Any individual who commits the following offenses shall be liable for a fine ranging from $5,000.00 to $8333 or imprisonment for a term of at least 30 days up to a maximum of 60 days:

1. Throwing objects onto the field or into the spectator areas of a sports venue (Section 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 6),

2. Singing songs or shouting messages at players or other spectators that express or incite hatred based on race, nationality, region, or religion (Section 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 7),

3. Lighting or throwing pyrotechnics (Section 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 8),

4. Lighting or otherwise destroying fan gear or other property (Section 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 9),

5. Attempting unauthorized entry or entering the playing field or spectator area, or any space reserved for officials or other participants in the sporting event (Section 4, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 10).

So basically, you light a flare now and you could be looking at 30 days behind bars..

I think they changed that bolded part too....That specific section refers to one particular court, if I recall correctly....The phrase "attempting unauthorized entry" wasn't even there before. Now, if you just lean over the fence after a goal is scored, they can charge you with attempting to enter the field—which carries the exact same penalty as actually getting inside. You better watch your step...