The club is facing a Football Association charge following May's home game against Bradford City - the League Two play-off semi-final second leg.
We have until next Monday to respond to the charge.
In a statement, the FA confirmed: "Carlisle United have been charged with crowd control misconduct in relation to their EFL League Two match against Bradford City on Saturday 20 May 2023. It's alleged that the club failed to ensure its spectators and/or supporters (and anyone purporting to be its supporters or followers) conduct themselves in an orderly fashion and don't commit any form of pitch incursion.”
Click HERE to see the statement online.
Commenting on the charge, and on fan behaviour, chief Executive Nigel Clibbens said: “Over the course of last season we have issued a number of warnings about the consequences of bad behaviour by a minority of fans.
“Too often last year we had incidents, and we have seen some fans end up in court. We cordoned off an area of the Paddock after coins were thrown during last October's game against Leyton Orient.
“We had instances of flares. We have seen unwelcome situations when fans entered the field of play without permission.
“In August 2023 we were fined £7,500 over a previous incident of racist chanting dating back to December 2022 [click HERE] and we were warned as to future our conduct.
“In addition, the FA imposed an Action Plan om the club in order to reduce the risk of further such breaches.
“At the opening game of the League One season against Fleetwood Town we saw interim bans issued to three fans over the throwing of objects rom the Warwick Road End.
“All of these incidents harm us. They damage our reputation and result in higher stewarding and policing costs. They result in fines and affect the fan experience for all supporters, not just those misbehaving.
“At the September meeting with CUSG representatives, just last week, I said that there had been a general improvement in fan behaviour recently, but reiterated that standards need to be maintained.
“We are grateful for the support from CUSG with their positive messages promoting the effort to encourage improved behaviour at games. Everyone needs to play a part.”
Read the minutes from the CUSG meeting HERE.
On the latest charge, he said: “I reported that this incident was an open issue at fan meetings including, the latest meeting last week [click HERE].
“We submitted our observations at the time and now, four months on, the charge is confirmed. We are reviewing the options and will make our response to the FA in the next few days. We will update fans further at a later date.”
“It is critical that fans understand the club is still operating under a Fan Behaviour Action Plan, a stipulation required by the FA Regulatory Commission’s sanction since August.
“We are being monitored closely. We have been informed that we will be having an FA inspection at an upcoming game to look in detail at our progress on improving fan behaviour.
“The passionate support of our fans is a vital part of what makes coming to our games so special. We must not lose that - we need more of it!
“It is completely understandable that emotions run high, but that doesn’t need to lead to misbehaviour. We are working hard to address these issues, but we cannot do this alone - we need fan support. That is at every game, home or away, including tonight against Peterborough United.”
See it, say it, sorted
Carlisle United Football Club is committed to providing an enjoyable atmosphere for everyone who attends games at Brunton Park.
If you have any concerns, or need to get in touch about any inappropriate behaviour, please report it:
- to the nearest steward or
- by phone to our SLO team on 07891 779 015 or
- by email to: kickitout@carlisleunited.co.uk; slo@carlisleunited.co.uk; edi@carlisleunited.co.uk; enquiries@carlisleunited.co.uk or
- https://www.kickitout.org/report
Click HERE to read a reminder on the consequences of pitch incursions, HERE for a reminder on the consequences of discriminatory language and behaviour, and HERE for a reminder on the consequences of the illegal use of pyro and missiles of any kind.
