Could U.K. soccer fans get their beers back? Prime Minister Andy Burnham teases possible end of 40-year ban

September 24, 2026 / 12:27 PM EDT / CBS News

London — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called the ban on alcohol in the stands at high-level men's soccer matches in the U.K. "discrimination," teasing fellow fans with a possible reversal of a more than 40-year-old ban.

"I don't think it's fair for football fans to be singled out," Burnham told reporters in New York on Wednesday, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly.

He hinted at a trial to reintroduce alcohol consumption in stadium seating.

The U.K. government, under then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, banned alcohol in the bleachers at men's soccer games in England and Wales in 1985.

Home Secretary Leon Brittan said at the time that booze was a "major contributory factor in violent and disorderly behavior" in soccer stadiums.

Since then, fans attending men's soccer games in the top five divisions have not been allowed to drink alcohol in view of the pitch. People can still buy and drink alcohol in the concourse before games and during halftime, but they cannot carry it back to their seats.

No other sports are subject to such a ban in the U.K.

At some older, less well-equipped…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/