UK police officer dismissed, banned for football hooliganism while off-duty as an Arsenal fan

A UK police officer has been dismissed for football hooliganism and been given a three-year ban from attending matches.

Metropolitan police detective constable Gordon Irikefe, an Arsenal supporter, was alleged to have thrown a pyrotechnic into a crowd during April’s Champions League tie at Bayern Munich while off duty, and he also faced allegations of tragedy chanting at a Leicester City match among other offences.

After appearing in court on Monday, a football banning order was granted, which states Irikefe cannot go within one mile of the Emirates Stadium four hours before and after an Arsenal match, and the same restrictions are in place for visiting the location of an away game.

The court heard he had come to police attention on multiple occasions since October 2022 for “disorderly and anti-social behaviour” at football matches. He was heard tragedy chanting at Leicester in February 2023 in relation to the helicopter crash at the club’s King Power Stadium in October 2018 that killed the five people aboard.

Other allegations included “making lewd gestures and shouting abuse at a substitute player, ‘masking up’ to conceal his identity and intimating other fans including using pyrotechnics”.

Irikefe, attached to the Met’s central south command unit, was the subject of a misconduct hearing held on Thursday following the alleged incident in Munich. The Met says Irikefe was arrested by German police on April 17, the day Arsenal played Bayern in the Champions League quarter-finals, for wearing a balaclava and sunglasses inside the Allianz Arena. He received a €100 (£83; $105) fine for the “masking” offence.

“The hearing found he had breached the standards of professional behaviour for discreditable conduct at the level of gross misconduct,” a Met statement read.

Irikefe had already resigned on February 12 but the Met stated that “his notice period meant he was still a serving officer when his misconduct hearing was held, therefore he was dismissed without notice”.

His banning order applies to all regulated football matches in the UK for three years, and he must also surrender his passport when asked in relation to matches played abroad. Irikefe is also prohibited from going within two miles of a stadium England are playing at four hours before and after the fixture.

Detective Superintendent Emma Bond, in charge of policing for the Central South area, said: “DC Irikefe has shown an unacceptable pattern of behaviour at football matches, for anyone, let alone a police officer who should uphold the highest of standards whether on or off duty.”

(Alex Pantling/Getty Images)