Police tell troublemakers ‘do not come’ to derby.
Police have encouraged anyone planning to cause violence around the Southampton-Portsmouth derby match to stay away. On Sunday, the two south coast rivals will play their first league meeting in 13 years, with prior games marked by violent fan fights.
Managed transport arrangements have been implemented, which means that any Portsmouth fans who wish to attend the match must travel to and from St Mary’s on specially organised coaches. Assistant Chief Constable Tony Rowlinson said that “passions are going to be high” prior to the match.
The encounter, slated for 12:00 BST on Sunday, will be the first league meeting between the two sides at St Mary’s since 2012.
The only more recent meeting between the two rivals was an EFL Cup match at Fratton Park in 2019. Previous games between the clubs have resulted in violent fights. Over 90 arrests were made in Fratton Park in 2004.
When the teams met in Southampton in February 2010, twelve people were jailed due to the violence. In September 2019, a man was jailed after punching a police horse in the head during a pre-match incident at Fratton Park.
Mr Rowlinson stated: “There will undoubtedly be a minority who believe their goal is to cause disturbance. “My plea to such people is don’t come and cause trouble; don’t ruin it for the majority of people who just want to have fun.
“We want both sets of supporters to come and have a great time and to enjoy it, but if that is going to tip into unlawful acts, we have got policing there ready to deal with that.” He stated that additional resources will be brought in from other agencies, with expert officers, drones, and mounted police being deployed.
“There are measures in place to prevent fans from getting together; I would ask both groups of fans to respect what the club and police are attempting to accomplish.
“I am confidence in the plans we have put in place. There are the appropriate number of cops on duty.
Train travel to and from Southampton Central Station is not feasible on Sunday due to pre-planned rail engineering maintenance.
Getty ImagesEarlier this week, Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones stated that the policing operation for Sunday’s match will cost up to £200,000.
Under police financing legislation, football clubs are charged for police personnel deployed on their property.
The second league game, which will take place at Pompey’s Fratton Park, is currently scheduled for the end of January.
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