Police appeal for help after FA Cup disorder

At the final whistle of the 5th round of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium, some Wigan fans went onto the pitch to celebrate.

However, shortly after, a small number of supporters in the away end became aggressive and started damaging the advertising boards, behaviour which the town’s police chief says won’t be tolerated.

Officers were swiftly deployed to keep the opposing sides separated, and the situation returned to normality within a very short space of time.

Two people were arrested on suspicion of affray following an incident outside the ground and remain in custody.

No injuries have been reported and GMP are working with Wigan Athletic to establish the full circumstances around this incident.

Chief Superintendent Stuart Ellison of GMP’s Territorial Commander for Wigan, said: “Football is a family event and the disruption that players and fans alike faced last night, will not be tolerated.

“As soon as people were on the pitch, we immediately deployed our resources to the front of the stands, where they were able to keep the two groups of supporters apart and prevent any further disruption.

“Our officers met with the club and other partners ahead of the match to carry out a full risk assessment, which ensured we had the appropriate resources for the number of people attending.

“Emotions always run high at football matches, and sometimes, this means that officers have to intervene to ensure the safety of the fans.

“We have made two arrests but as our investigation into last night’s disruption continues, I’d ask anyone with information about the incident to please come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 1487 of 19/02/18. Reports can also be made anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.