On Tuesday the Crystal Palace away game against Brighton and Hove Albion was continuously interrupted by loud bangs followed by great clouds of white and red smoke. These smoke bombs originated in the away stand that was occupied by Crystal Palace and continued throughout the 90 minutes. The first couple of ‘bombs’ that went off immediately alarmed fans due to the recent terror scares in London but as the game continued the supporters adjusted to the intense bangs and tried to enjoy the rest of the game.

However, although most fans had a few words to say on the matter and then moved on, there were some that were not able to do so. Adjacent to the fans setting off the smoke bombs was the stand for disabled supporters. Many of these disabled supporters were so disturbed by the repetitive alarming noises that they had to leave missing the rest of the game, which many Brighton and Crystal Palace supporters deemed outrageous.

As well as these smoke bombs there were reports of some Crystal Palace fans forcing entry when arriving at the stadium. These supporters failed to show their tickets so were denied entry into the stadium; despite this they forced their way through the turnstiles and whilst doing so they hospitalised two stewards. Six people have been arrested and some were held for forty-five minutes by the police.

As a result of the ‘crowd trouble’ the turnstiles were closed early to prevent further disorder. Sadly some Crystal Palace fans who did have tickets did not get to see the game due to the disruptions. However the police have announced that anyone who had bought a ticket and were denied access should contact Palace’s ticket office for a full refund.

Amaia Cordeschi, Sydenham High School