Sanctions and Banning Policy

This Policy is compliant with the requirements and principles of the Equality Act 2010 and will be applied accordingly.

This Policy complements Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s Ground Regulations, the Club’s Ticket and Membership Terms and Conditions and the Club’s Ticket Touting Policy Statement.

This Policy supersedes any and all other policies’ application of sanctions, as of the date of publication, 29 July 2022.

The purpose of this Policy is to ensure the safety of all visitors to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, regardless of the capacity they are attending in, and enhance the experience of everyone attending matches.

The framework of offences and corresponding sanctions alongside the appeals process outlined in this Policy are designed to give supporters clarity on how the Club will deal with transgressions.

Any period of suspension or ban will apply to all Club matches and premises as well as participation in any competitions or events it organises or is involved in and the right to access or purchase tickets, membership or experiences.

There will be no refund of any monies paid for periods of ejection, suspension or ban unless overturned on appeal.

Full details of any sanction and the process by which they are applied or appealed will be provided in writing.

The following breakdowns are a guide for how the Club will treat behavioural and ticketing offences, recognising that they are distinct and require separate sanctions. Offences will be reported to the police where appropriate. Any case subject to a police investigation will be suspended until that investigation has concluded

The Club will deal with each case on an individual basis and reserves the right to use its discretion within the recommended sanction bands provided. In cases where proven offences involve aggravating features such as violent, threatening, or discriminatory behaviour or where the Club’s safety operation is impaired, the Club reserves the right to apply a greater sanction than outlined below.

Where offences are committed by minors, the Club reserves the right to extend the ban to their accompanying parent(s) or guardian(s). This includes cases involving entering the field of play and the possession and / or use of pyrotechnics, which are defined as handheld flares, fireworks and smoke bombs.

Supporters are reminded that home match tickets can be shared and sold officially by using Ticket Share and Ticket Exchange respectively. Tickets should not be sold via third parties. Tickets for away matches cannot be resold or transferred under any circumstances.

The Club reserves the right to take precautionary action against any supporters who are linked to anyone found to have sold tickets on unofficially. This can be a link via previous purchase history, recorded methods of payment or by postal and / or email address.

Following an investigation into any alleged offence committed, whether resulting in an ejection or not, (which will draw on a range of evidence sources, including but not exclusively, steward incident reports, witness statements, Control Room radio logs and CCTV footage, other video / audio recordings) the individual in question will receive written notice of the sanction to be applied with supporting evidence and rationale.

A sanction can be appealed by submitting grounds for the appeal in writing to appeals@tottenhamhotspur.com within 15 working days of receiving the Club’s notice.

Upon receipt of an appeal and supporting evidence, the Sanctioning Officer may reduce or cancel the original sanction. If the sanction is not reduced or cancelled, an appeal hearing will be scheduled, which will be within 20 working days unless additional time is required for further investigation.

One of two appeal formats will be offered at the discretion of the Appeal Panel:

• In Person or Virtual Appeal Panel

The individual will be invited to appeal their sanction in person or virtually to a panel, accompanied by a nominated individual or individuals who may contribute to the appeal. Supporters under the age of 18 must be accompanied by their parent / legal guardian who may speak on their behalf. The Club will not pay any costs associated for anyone attending an appeal.

The Club will present the evidence used in their investigation and the supporter will have the opportunity to present any evidence to support their case, such as witness statements or video footage.

If an individual does not attend an agreed panel hearing, their appeal will be heard in their absence.

• Remote Appeal Panel

The individual will submit their full written appeal, with supporting evidence as appropriate, to a panel which will operate remotely to consider the appeal and provide a final decision.

Appeal Panel Decisions

Appeal Panel decisions may cancel, reduce, maintain or increase the original sanction and will be considered final. Minutes of the meeting will be recorded and kept on file with details shared with relevant departments within the Club.

If an Appeal Panel overturns a sanction the Club will refund the cost of any matches paid for and missed as a result of the sanction. This will apply to individual match tickets and season tickets. If an individual is not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, they will be advised that they can take their case to the Independent Football Ombudsman.

Panels will be made up of the following:

• A senior member of Club staff at Head of Department level or above
• A member of the Club’s Equality Working Group
• A representative of the Football Supporters’ Association  

If requested, and where the presence of a banned supporter would pose a risk to others (in cases where offences have been violent, discriminatory, or threatening in nature), the Club will provide details of supporters sanctioned with a ban to relevant opposition clubs. Information (including name, address, date of birth and photo where applicable) will be supplied in line with information sharing agreements and approved by the Club’s GDPR Manager to ensure compliance with relevant legislation.

The Club is registered under the Data Protection Act 2018 and manages data in accordance with its data protection policy, ensuring the security of personal data.

The Club may impose sanctions in the event of a supporter breaching regulations at another stadium, following an investigation consistent with our Policy for home matches.

Where identifiable, individuals using discriminatory language via social media will be treated as if the offence has been committed at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or any other Club premises. The Club will insist any supporter found to have directed discriminatory abuse attend an educational session with an independent equality and diversity specialist before any ban can be considered served.

Code of Conduct

No supporter will be eligible to return to the Stadium following a Club ban unless they have signed a Code of Conduct agreement in the form set out below:

THIS AGREEMENT is made between Tottenham Hotspur Football & Athletic Co. Ltd and:

I agree that at all times whilst present in the Stadium or on the footprint of the Stadium that I will comply with all and any reasonable instructions and directions of any Club official or steward, any police officer or any other safety service.

I agree to comply with all of the Stadium Ground Regulations in relation to any fixture involving the Club, whether a home or away fixture.

I understand that further action could be taken by the Club including, but not limited to, the withdrawal of any Club membership and/or match ticket and/or season ticket (without reimbursement) and any other Club related benefits.

This Code of Conduct will be kept on record for a period of 25 home fixtures from the signed date below.

I confirm that I have read and understood this Code of Conduct and will abide by its terms, and any breach of this will result in a Club ban for a period of time deemed necessary and proportionate by the Club.

Signed: _______________________________ Date: ____________________________

If under the Club age of 18 Years

Signed:________________________________Date:____________________________

Name_____________________________________________

Relationship: Mother / Father / Legal Guardian

Signed on behalf of the Club:

________________________________Date:___________________________