Home Office bans 1,300 ‘violent and abusive’ fans from travelling to the World Cup in Qatar

Crackdown follows a rise in disorder and pitch invasions at football matches

More than 1,300 violent and abusive" football fans in England and Wales will be banned from travelling to the World Cup in Qatar next month following a season disfigured by a dramatic surge in disorder at matches.

Measures will come into force this Friday requiring 1,308 people with a history of football-related violence or disorder to surrender their passports, preventing them travelling to the Gulf state or neighbouring countries from where they could commute to games.