Premier League football seemed to had swapped it’s sensibilities with Sunday League in West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to Burnley, as fans were seen to clash with stewards, players and each other following desperate calls from a large minority for major changes in the club.

Today West Ham United have handed out 5 lifetime bans for prominent roles in the upset, and expects to hand out further punishments for pitch invaders.

In their statement released today, the club have given, “Lifetime bans from all West Ham United matches, both home and away, have today been issued to five individuals who crossed safety barriers to enter the field of play.” (The full statement can be seen at https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/2018/march/22-march/west-ham-united-statement#aTAvGVjQX2J7VClT.99)

Fans were also seen to throw objects, including coins, at the Directors Box.

This isn’t the first or last time that lifetime stadium bans will be given, but where does this horrific day in the new history of the London Stadium rank in the spectrum of sanctions set by the new, tougher Football Association?

The day itself was to many, a grim reminder of the clubs past, echoing the tense standoff that occurred between a number of Hammers and Chelsea fans during their EFL Cup Tie. Seats were ripped up, projectiles were thrown and stewards were injured in what looked like to onlookers as two waring factions held apart by a line of orange string.

Many had blamed several factors for the clash, including the layout of the stadium, a lack of coordinated police presence and of course, the behaviour of the fans.

This is arguably in competition for the most memorable lifetime ban in the last 5 years, competing with the England fans who were ejected from the Westfalenstadion after they were caught making Nazi gestures during their 1-0 defeat to Germany, disrespectful moustaches to boot.

The Football Association had used their powers first with this incident, which some thought was part of a larger plan by the FA to quell an alarming growth in ‘hooliganism like’ behaviour committed by England fans when traveling to foreign cities.

Last year former Premier League champions Leicester City FC gave out 3 lifetime bans to fans for ‘unacceptable conduct’, chiefly shouting homophobic abuse at players during their 2-0 win at against Brighton and Hove Albion FC.

Even stranger than the bans for fans is the growing list of objects and phrases that are also banned in some UK football stadiums because of hooliganism. This includes, but is not exclusive to:

• Selfie Sticks – Which could be used as spear-like weapons
• Umbrellas – Which could be used as projectiles
• Newspapers – Infamously associated with the ‘Millwall Brick’ technique, rolling the newspaper to resemble a cosh
• The Phrase, “Man Up” – Derogatory slang
• Polo Mints – Which somehow could be used as projectiles
• Frisbees – Also a projectile

it is apparent that the Football Association and football clubs tied to the organisation have been taking a much firmer stance on unacceptable behaviour in recent years. With this, England’s official travel club has the lowest membership in its history, dropping from 57,000 members at its peak when the new Wembley Stadium re-opened to just around 8,000 members last year.

Do you think the bans were necessary? Is the FA being too harsh on football fans who break the rules? Let us know in the comments section below.