Warning sent to fans after new law introduced ahead of Carabao Cup final

The UK government has introduced a new law aimed at ticketless fans ahead of Sunday's Carabao Cup final at Wembley.

Arsenal and Manchester City will compete for the first trophy of the English football season in London.

Both clubs have sold out their allocations of around 32,000 tickets each, with the remaining capacity filled by hospitality.

Ahead of the final, the UK government have formally banned 'tailgating' - when supporters without a ticket walk closely behind a ticket holder to enable them to pass through the turnstiles.

It is therefore now illegal to enter a football match without a ticket, with sanctions including a football banning order of up to five years and a fine of up to £1,000. Offenders will also be arrested.

Sarah Jones, Minister of State for Policing and Crime, said in a statement: "Football fans should be able to enjoy the game without feeling unsafe or threatened.

"We're giving the police the tools they need to ensure the chaos we saw at Wembley five years ago never happens again.

"Anyone who endangers others by forcing their way into stadiums faces serious consequences."

Why has the law been introduced?

Ahead of the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England, which was staged at Wembley, thousands of ticketless fans managed to force their way into the stadium prior to kick-off.

The Met Police had earlier urged those fans against travelling, and stated that there was 'a worry large numbers of unticketed fans will try to push onto the concourse'.

The Euro 2020 final was marred by ticketless fan disorder outside Wembley (Image: Getty)

Over 500 police officers were deployed to prevent those fans from entering the stadium, although many managed to evade security and get through the turnstiles.

A review by Baroness Louise Casey found that there were a number of 'near misses' that could have led to 'significant injuries or even death'.

The review found that more than 2,000 people entered Wembley without tickets, while there were 17 'mass breaches' of security and 'systematic targeting of disabled entrances as means of access'.

It was also noted that around 6,000 people were stood outside Wembley, on the Spanish steps, throughout the match, and would have attempted to enter the stadium had England won.

Gareth Southgate's side eventually lost to Italy on penalties.