“Action Plan” – Mitigation Efforts for Carlisle United Penalty or Braford City Incident…
Carlisle United has been fined £5,000 in relation to the pitch invasion that occurred during the play-off game against Bradford City at Brunton Park.
The celebration of progress to Wembley resulted in post-match chaos, leading to the club’s punishment. The charge was acknowledged by Carlisle, which has been warned and fined £5,000, with £2,000 suspended.
The events of May 20 in the League Two play-off semi-final second leg prompted a charge of crowd control misconduct. Despite presenting “significant” mitigation, the club’s previous incidents of fan behavior, including racist chanting during the Bradford league game on Boxing Day 2022, influenced the decision of an independent regulatory commission.
The pitch invasion, following Carlisle’s victory over Bradford, led to the charge, as the club admitted failing to ensure orderly conduct and preventing pitch incursions. The suspended £2,000 part of the fine will be enforced if the club breaches Football Association rule E21 on or before November 21 the following year.
The FA acknowledged the club’s existing “Action Plan” until the end of the 2023/24 season and issued a formal warning about future conduct. Carlisle argued that their punishment was affected by a previous fine of £7,500 for the racist chanting incident.
An independent Regulatory Commission has imposed a warning and £5,000 fine on Carlisle United for crowd control misconduct at their match on Saturday 20 May 2023 against Bradford City in the EFL League Two.
Full statement: https://t.co/syuJU6On7M pic.twitter.com/4FYOIZsKgR
— FA Spokesperson (@FAspokesperson) November 29, 2023
Blues’ chief executive Nigel Clibbens expressed the club’s admission of the charge and provided significant mitigation. The commission classified their culpability as the fifth category, indicating a marginal failure. The detailed “Action Plan” remains unchanged, and the club is urged to continue emphasizing that the pitch is for players and officials, discouraging the use of pyros and missiles.
The independent regulatory commission, consisting of Abdul S Iqbal KC, Peter Fletcher, and Phil Rainford, highlighted in their written reasons that there were “no or very few security or safety staff” visible on footage of the pitch invasion.
While the FA accepted the club’s strong messaging to fans and enhanced planning with the police, aspects of United’s actions were criticized. The safety and security advisor, Anthony Conniford, identified failings in the risk assessment and briefing document and suggested a more robust attempt to prevent pitch invasions.
Despite Carlisle taking significant steps to mitigate risks, the commission found them falling short under the “due diligence test.” The FA did not impose a further Action Plan, given the absence of discriminatory language or conduct.
Two fans were prosecuted and sanctioned, receiving 3-year Football Banning Orders and 3-year club bans. Since the incidents, Carlisle has made changes to improve matchday planning, risk assessment, and match incident management, experiencing no repeat pitch incursion in the 2023/24 season.
The commission acknowledged the significance of the play-off semi-final but found it surprising that it was only considered a “medium risk” fixture. Carlisle went on to win the play-off final, securing promotion by defeating Stockport County on penalties. The imposed fine is comparatively less severe than penalties faced by other clubs for similar pitch invasion incidents.
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