The FA is reminding Three Lions fans travelling to Dublin this weekend to Follow England Away in the right way.
More than 3,000 supporters will witness England’s first appearance at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday (1pm kick-off) as Roy Hodgson’s men face Republic of Ireland.
Rep. Ireland v England
International Match
1pm, Sunday 7 June
Aviva Stadium, Dublin
It will once again showcase the outstanding support the Three Lions receive both on the road and at Wembley, as further evidenced by current sales for the European Qualifier against Switzerland in September being at the 40,000 mark.
Sunday’s fixture is reciprocal following The FA’s 150th anniversary celebrations in 2013.
That year, the Boys in Green played out a 1-1 draw at Wembley Stadium, and both sides will be looking for a repeat of that colourful occasion when the neighbours meet in Dublin.
However, The FA has recently noted an increase in anti-social behaviour from a certain section of England fans that has led to complaints from within our own supporters who, as a result, have not enjoyed the experience of backing their country on the road.
Since the start of the current European Championship qualifying campaign, The FA has suspended 18 England Supporters Travel Club memberships and warned a further 46 members about inappropriate behaviour and ticket violations.
Wayne Rooney trains at St. George's Park
FIFA has also made official contact with The FA to express concerns about anti-IRA chanting during the recent fixture against Italy in Turin and with the Ireland fixture in mind.
The FA has consistently urged supporters to show respect and not chant songs that could be regarded as insulting to others, particularly from a religious or political perspective.
In light of recent behaviour, this message needs to be proactively reinforced.
England fans’ behaviour abroad has dramatically improved over the last decade but The FA and authorities are not complacent in this area and fully support the forthcoming introduction of a new anti-discrimination monitoring system by FIFA in collaboration with the Fare network.
Roy Hodgson is preparing his team for the trip to Ireland
As ever, The FA has worked with relevant authorities behind-the-scenes ahead of the fixture and certain measures have already been put in place for this weekend’s game.
To alleviate the security concerns of the authorities in Republic of Ireland, the match will kick-off at 1pm, while The FA has organised for 100 per cent collection of England Supporters Travel Club members tickets in Dublin to minimise the risk of any violations or touting.
Authorities have also put in place a passport surrender system for this fixture with those subject to football banning orders being required to report to English police stations between 10am and kick-off time.
The FA will always investigate all reports of inappropriate behaviour and individuals can raise such matters in confidence by emailing englandsupportersclub@thefa.com.
