England Fans’ World Cup Arrest Statistics Challenge Infantino’s Claim

FIFA President Gianni Infantino may have intended to share a lighthearted remark, but his comments did not resonate well in England.

In his address addressing worries regarding the upcoming World Cup in North America, and the criticisms preceding the Qatar 2022 event, Infantino stated, “For the first time in history, no Brit was arrested during a World Cup.” His words drew laughter at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, as he added, “Imagine. This is something really, really special.”

These statements understandably provoked ire from the Football Supporters’ Association, which labeled Infantino’s remarks as “cheap jokes” at the expense of England’s fans. Additionally, the term “Brits” likely irritated supporters from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

Efforts have been made over the years to rehabilitate the reputation of England fans at major tournaments, particularly following the peak of hooliganism that culminated in Euro 2000. This was a low point for the country’s standing on the international stage.

Statistics on Arrests During World Cups

What do the available statistics reveal about arrests during the World Cup? Is the absence of arrests in Qatar an anomaly? Are England fans still perceived in this light globally, or was this merely a cheap shot?

Infantino’s remarks were directly tied to World Cup appearances. It is worth noting that since the 1998 World Cup in France, only the 2006 tournament in Germany offered easy accessibility for English supporters.

In the 2002 World Cup, England played all their matches in Japan, where only one arrest occurred for violence among the 8,000 fans that traveled to Asia. The 2006 World Cup in Germany saw approximately 350,000 fans attend, yet only 21 were arrested for football-related crimes.

Violence erupted during a match between Germany and Poland, resulting in 429 arrests, with 119 from Poland and 278 from Germany. The subsequent World Cups took place in Africa and South America, where the statistics tell a different story.

According to recorded data, contrary to Infantino’s assertion, there were no arrests of England supporters at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where around 30,000 fans traveled. In Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, 15 arrests were made, none related to violence, among the 20,000 fans present; 13 were for ticket-related offenses, and two were for property crimes.

The 2018 World Cup in Russia saw around 20,000 England fans visit, resulting in six arrests, four of which were for football-related anti-social behavior. In the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar, only 4,000 supporters made the trip, and as Infantino noted, no arrests were reported for fans from England or Wales, who also qualified.

Analysis of Arrest Figures

Across six World Cups, a total of 55 arrests were recorded out of 432,000 fans, with 28 classified as non-violent offenses. There are no comparable statistics available for other nations. However, the violence at that singular Germany-Poland match in 2006 resulted in eight times the total number of arrests by England fans over six tournaments.

Chief Constable Mark Roberts, national lead for football policing, stated, “For the record, ‘British’ fans behaving at World Cups is the norm, not something special. While these remarks may be made in jest, they are neither helpful nor accurate.”