It is often stated that the most passionate fans of any football club are those who are in the stands for every game possible, home or away. While that can forever be debated, there is no doubt about the level of finances and time dedicated to following your team in person, especially if you are one of those who routinely travels to opposition stadiums.
Given how widespread the Premier League is, several hours will be spent by fans making journeys to certain games. For example, the distance between the most northern stadium, St James’ Park, and the most southern, the Vitality Stadium, is over six hours one way. While only the most die-hard fans would be willing to make such a trip, they are often the ones who wear their hearts on their sleeves a little too much, and may find themselves getting into trouble.
Those at TipMan Tips have compiled data from August 2019 to May 2024 to find out which teams have seen the most arrests of their away fans in the Premier League.
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Chelsea are regular offenders and Aston Villa make it in at six for a game that only ever happened once.
10 Wolverhampton Wanderers
50 arrests
The list kicks off with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have averaged 10 arrests per year over the period, with their total amounting to 50. While no reasons have been given for the arrests, it reflects the up-and-down nature of the Black Country outfit since they made their top-flight return in the 2018/2019 season.
Given that Wanderers were flirting with relegation this season for large periods of Gary O’Neil’s tenure, one can only imagine this number will have increased, but it is certainly a strong number and a sign of things to come for the remainder of the list.
9 Arsenal
53 arrests
The Gunners may have gotten used to coming second in another leaderboard in recent years, but on this one they drop to ninth – admittedly for the better – with 53 arrests. While their fans may have been teased for their rather disappointing tifo ahead of their Champions League clash with Paris Saint-Germain, there can be no doubt that their away support is ferocious, even if sometimes overboard based on the figures.
Given that Arsenal travel to Paris for the important second leg with PSG next week, it will be interesting to see if this number increases at all.
8 Leicester City
58 arrests
During their miracle 2015–16 Premier League title win and the years spent battling for places in European competition, it would be hard to imagine Leicester City fans getting into much trouble. They would surely have been living on cloud nine, struggling to believe what they were witnessing.
Things have not been as straightforward in recent years though, and in this period, the Foxes were relegated back to the Championship and had to fight it out in a gritty and passionate league that is bound to bring the fire out in certain fanbases. Their 58 arrests land them in 8th place, which they would’ve loved to have matched domestically this season.
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7 Chelsea
59 arrests
Two teams finish joint-sixth with 59 arrests, starting with Chelsea, who do have a track record when it comes to Premier League arrests. Their anger may largely be fuelled by the steady decline the club has experienced under the watchful eye of Todd Boehly, who has brought nothing but controversy and misery to Stamford Bridge.
The Blues won the Champions League in this period of time, but that seems like a lifetime ago given the situation they find themselves in now. Chelsea fans often make their frustrations heard whether they are home or away, and by the looks of it, it seems to spill out more than it should.
6 Liverpool
59 arrests
Maybe a case of celebrations getting out of hand? Liverpool have had far more to cheer for in recent years than most English clubs, so perhaps that has led to one too many boozy encounters where things don’t go according to plan and get out of hand.
Everyone in English football knows the passion that courses through the veins of those who stand in the Kop. It is what makes Anfield one of the most special atmospheres in all of football. It is those who stand within it who create that, and the most fearsome of them will travel up and down the country for the Reds. Though by the looks of it, some might be returning with a police escort of some sort.
5 Newcastle United
61 arrests
A club most certainly on the up, but there have been some darker days since 2019 that no doubt may have contributed to the 61 arrests that see Newcastle climb into the top five of this list. The Magpies have not long picked up their first piece of major silverware in several decades, but before that, all hope looked lost.
For a city where football means an incredibly big deal to the population, watching this deteriorate at St James’ Park while a sleeping giant continued to slumber would no doubt have been difficult for fans to watch, and naturally, the emotions of it all may have gotten the better of some of them.
4 Everton
66 arrests
By almost every metric, Everton are the second-best team in Merseyside at the current juncture. And while this is an area in which they can say they trump their rivals in red, they may not be so proud of the fact. Mischievous Everton fans have certainly made their presence felt in recent times, namely the one supporter who scammed Liverpool fans during their Premier League title win celebrations.
All in all, 66 arrests of Everton fans have been made at away matches since August 2019. While Sean Dyche has steadied the ship at the club, the core Everton fans who want more may make themselves seen and heard for a little while longer yet.
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3 West Ham United
72 arrests
When they aren’t busy blowing bubbles, West Ham United fans are among the most notorious when it comes to causing a little trouble. Therefore, it is not much of a surprise to see them sitting towards the top of this list. The Hammers, along with rivals Millwall, are known to not be messed with, and may have been most people’s favourites to sit at the top of the pile here.
They are joint-second, and some way off first though, with the two teams equal and above them coming from the same city.
2 Manchester City
72 arrests
The reputation of Manchester City fans has not exactly been the most positive in recent years, but that is for a number of different reasons. Some have called them fair-weather fans or glory hunters, but based on this data, they may end up garnering a reputation as troublemakers instead.
When on the road, the Cityzens are as much of an issue for the police to deal with as West Ham fans, which might be a surprise to many. Perhaps this is just the Gallagher brothers getting up to no good on multiple occasions, or maybe it’s a case of their recent dominance over English football leading to some rather excessive gloating that has led to clashes.
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The number one fanbase has a mammoth 636 arrests – more than double the next closest team.
1 Manchester United
83 arrests
It It used to be that whatever Manchester City could do, United could do better – or at least more of. That hasn’t rung true in recent years, and in the one category where it has, the Red Devils would rather it were the other way round. It must be said, United’s fanbase is one of the biggest worldwide, so there are more fans potentially at risk of getting into trouble with the law.
However, if the club were performing on the pitch and being run in an acceptable manner off it, many may argue that the rage currently held by supporters wouldn’t be so prominent and therefore might not cause as many issues as it appears to have done with the authorities.
