Rise in UK Football-Related Violent Disorder Arrests After Lockdowns: Expert

Everton's Irish defender Seamus Coleman celebrates with Everton's fans invading the football pitch to celebrate at the end of the English Premier League football match between Everton and Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in Liverpool, northwest England, on May 19, 2022. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

English football has experienced a sharp rise in anti-social behaviour and violence following the end of lockdowns, according to government statistics.

There were 2,198 football-related arrests in the 2021–22 season, up 59 percent from the last comparable pre-pandemic period in 2018–19, according to official statistics from the Home Office.