Sanctions and Banning Policy

Tottenham Hotspur Sanctions and Banning Policy

Last updated: February 2026

PART 1: DEFINITIONS

In this Policy:

"Brisbane Road" means Brisbane Road, Leyton, London, United Kingdom, E10 5NE;

"Club" means Tottenham Hotspur Limited and all group entities (including but not limited to Tottenham Hotspur Football & Athletic Co. Ltd, Tottenham Hotspur Women Football Club Limited and Tottenham Hotspur Football Co Limited);

"Event" means any event or participation in a visitor attraction, excluding Matches, held at any of the Premises (including but not limited to NFL matches, karting and concerts);

"Face Value" means the price at which Match tickets can be acquired through the Club’s official channels including but not limited to Club’s authorised resellers;

"Malicious Communications" means conduct which intends to cause, or at least is foreseeable that it will cause, serious distress or anxiety to a target and/or recipient (including but not limited to any social media channel or platform, telephone calls and emails);

"Match" means all Club matches;

"Member" means any Club season ticket holder, One Hotspur Member or any holder of other membership tiers;

“Online Abuse” means any behaviour that is abusive, threatening or harassing, conducted through a digital or online platform that is intended to harm, intimidate, harass, sexually harass, or otherwise negatively impact an individual, including without limitation the Club’s staff, players, manager, board members or other individuals connected to the Club. This includes but is not limited to racist, sexist, homophobic or other discriminatory content that may constitute hate speech, as defined by applicable law;  

"Policy" means the Club’s Sanctions and Banning Policy;

"Premises" means the Stadium and all other stadia (including but not limited to Brisbane Road), land and buildings (including but not limited to the karting centre located at the Stadium), and the Training Centre, including the footprint of such premises, owned and/or controlled by the Club;

"Sexual Misconduct" means any conduct of sexual nature that is non-consensual or has the purpose or effect of threatening, intimidating, undermining, humiliating or coercing a person;

"Sporting Events" means all sporting events held at any of the Premises (including but not limited to NFL matches and rugby matches);

"Stadium" means the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium located at 782 High Road, Tottenham, London N17 0AP;

"Training Centre" means the Club’s training centre, which is situated at Hotspur Way, Whitewebbs Lane, Enfield, London, EN2 9AP, or any training centre substituted as the Club’s training centre on a temporary basis; and

"Working Day" means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a bank or public holiday in England.

In this Policy, the use of the singular includes the plural and vice versa.

PART 2: INTRODUCTION 

Policy Statement

This Policy applies to any Member or other individual who commits a behavioural or ticketing offence as set out in Part 3, at any Match and/or Event at/on/in relation to any of the Premises, directly or indirectly engages in any Online Abuse or otherwise commits an offence in connection with the Club. This includes offences under the Football (Offences) Act 1991. The Club reserves the right to apply sanctions for offences that have been subject to no further criminal investigation, or do not meet a criminal threshold.

This Policy is compliant with the requirements and principles of the Equality Act 2010 and will be applied accordingly.

This Policy complements and does not override the Stadium’s Ground Regulations (which can be found here), the men's and women's Membership and Ticketing Terms and Conditions, the Ticket Touting Policy Statement and any other regulations or policy specific to each of the Premises.

Save for the Stadium’s Ground Regulations, this Policy supersedes any and all other policies’ application of sanctions, as of the date of publication, August 2025.The Club reserves the right to amend this Policy at any time.

Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to:

• ensure the safety of and enhance the experience of all Members, Event attendees and visitors to any of the Premises, regardless of the capacity they are attending in; and
• protect individuals from abuse, whether occurring in person or online.

The framework of offences and corresponding recommended sanctions alongside the appeals process outlined in this Policy are designed to give all Members, Event attendees, visitors to any of the Premises and those who engage with the Club in other capacities (be it in person or online) clarity on how the Club will deal with transgressions.

PART 3: SANCTIONS

Sanction Conditions

Any period of ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction will apply to all Matches, Events and Premises and the right to access or purchase tickets, memberships or experiences.

The granting of any refunds for periods of ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction remains at the sole discretion of the Club.

In circumstances where an ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction is overturned by the Appeal Panel, the Club will refund the cost of any Matches and/or Events paid for and missed as a result of such ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction.

The Club does not assume any liability by virtue of this Policy or otherwise for any other direct, indirect or consequential losses arising in connection with the ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction.

Full details of any sanction and the process by which they are applied or appealed will be provided in writing.

Types of Offences and Sanctions

The following breakdowns are a guide for how the Club will treat: (i) Online Abuse and Malicious Communication; and (ii) behavioural and ticketing offences at Matches and Events, recognising that they are distinct and require separate sanctions.

Offences will be reported to the police where appropriate. In the event of a police investigation, the Club's own investigation will be suspended until the police investigation and any proceedings which might follow have concluded.

The Club will deal with each case on an individual basis and reserves the right to use its discretion within the recommended sanction bands provided below. In cases where proven offences involve aggravating features such as violent, threatening or discriminatory behaviour or where the Club’s safety operation is impaired, the Club reserves the right to apply a greater sanction than outlined below.

The Club also reserves the right to extend or reduce the recommended length of time of sanctions if the original sanction falls within the football off-season period or to reflect the forthcoming Match fixture schedule at the time of sanction. This is to ensure that a ban is proportionate to the incident in question.

Where offences are committed by minors, the Club reserves the right to extend the ban to their accompanying parent(s) or guardian(s). This includes, but is not limited to, cases involving entering the field of play during Matches and Sporting Events and the possession and/or use of pyrotechnics, which are defined as handheld flares, fireworks and smoke bombs.

I. Matches: Behavioural Sanctions

Any Member or other individual who commits a behavioural offence at any Match, at/on/in relation to any of the Premises, or otherwise commits an offence in connection with the Club will be subject to the following recommended sanctions:

Where identifiable, Members and other individuals using discriminatory and/or threatening or abusive language towards Club staff, players, and/or fan representatives via social media, telephone calls or emails will be treated as if the offence has been committed at any of the Premises. The Club reserves the right to use its discretion as to what constitutes discriminatory and/or threatening or abusive language and such offence may incur a sanction up to and including an indefinite ban.

If requested for away Match fixtures, and where the presence of a banned Member or individual would pose a risk to others (in cases where offences have been violent, discriminatory, or threatening in nature), the Club will provide details of Members and individuals sanctioned with a ban to relevant opposition clubs. Information (including name, address, date of birth and photo where applicable) will be supplied in line with information sharing agreements and approved by the Club’s Data Protection Officer to ensure compliance with relevant legislation.

The Club is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office and manages personal data in accordance with its Data Protection Policy.

The Club may impose sanctions in the event of a Member or an individual breaching regulations at another stadium during an away Match fixture, following an investigation consistent with our Policy for home Matches.

II. Matches: Ticketing Sanctions

Any Member or other individual who commits a ticketing offence in connection with any Match will be subject to the following recommended sanctions:

Members and other individuals are reminded that home men’s Match tickets can be shared and sold officially by using the Ticket Share, Ticket Upgrade and Ticket Exchange platforms respectively. The transfer of home Match tickets outside of these channels, and the transfer of away Match tickets through any channel, is strictly prohibited. Supporters remain responsible for their Match tickets at all times. Should any offence be carried out by a supporter in possession of their ticket, they will be held responsible, and sanctions for the offence will be applicable to the original ticket holder and, where identifiable, the supporter using the ticket.

Any individual who is a Platinum Season-Ticket Holder and commits a ticketing offence in connection with any Away Match will have their Platinum Membership revoked, in addition to the above Away Match sanctions.

The Club reserves the right to take action, including but not limited to precautionary action, against any Members or other individuals who are reasonably believed by the Club to be linked to anyone found to have sold Match tickets unofficially or in contravention of the Club's Ticket and Membership Terms and Conditions and Ticket Touting Policy Statement. This can be a link via previous purchase history, recorded methods of payment or by postal and/or email address.

III. Events: Behavioural Sanctions

Any Member or other individual who commits a behavioural offence at any Event, at/on/in relation to any of the Premises will be subject to the following recommended sanctions:

Sanction Process

During the period of (i) any police investigation into an alleged offence under this Policy, up to the conclusion of that investigation and any subsequent proceedings; and/or (ii) any investigation by the Club, the Member’s or individual’s account and right to attend all Matches, Events and Premises and the right to access or purchase tickets, memberships or experiences will be suspended. Where a Member or individual is suspended as per this process, the Club will send a suspension notice to the Member’s or individual’s email address or postal address on file.

Following the conclusion of any investigation by the Club into any alleged offence and any subsequent proceedings, whether resulting in an ejection or not, (which will draw on a range of evidence sources, including but not limited to, steward incident reports, witness statements, Control Room radio logs and CCTV footage, other video/audio recordings, screenshots and URLs of where the Online Abuse was posted or Malicious Communication sent) the Member or individual in question will receive written notice of the sanction to be applied with a summary of supporting evidence and rationale (a "Sanction Notice"). The Club will send the Sanction Notice to the Member’s or individual’s email address or postal address on file.

PART 4: APPEALS

Supporters can request to appeal a sanction by submitting grounds for the appeal (together with any supporting evidence) in writing to appeals@tottenhamhotspur.com within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Club sending the Sanction Notice. There shall be no obligation to consider any grounds for appeal received after this period has elapsed. If sufficient grounds are not provided, the Club reserves the right to request additional evidence or deny the request for an appeal.

Level 1 offences and/or written warnings cannot be appealed other than on grounds of mistaken identity.

Appeals for Level 2 offences and above, as well as ticketing offences, can be held in one of three formats: a written appeal, a virtual appeal held remotely, or an in-person appeal on Club premises. Procedures for each type of appeal are outlined within the ‘Appeals Process’ section below. The Club reserves the right to select the format of the appeal hearing at its discretion and is under no obligation to accommodate requests for any in-person or virtual hearing to be held on a specific date or in a specific format, unless required to do so by applicable law.

Appeal Process

In-Person Appeals and Virtual Appeals

The appeal hearing will be scheduled within thirty (30) calendar days of the appeal request being received by the Club, unless additional time is reasonably required . The Member or individual will then be notified in writing of the date, time and location of the appeal hearing. The Member or individual will also be notified where any extension is required prior to the appeal being scheduled.

Where an appeal hearing date has been set and is required to be rescheduled, the appeal must be heard within two (2) months of the originally scheduled appeal hearing date. The Club will make reasonable efforts to accommodate rescheduling requests, provided they are submitted in advance. 

The Member or individual will be invited to appeal their sanction remotely or in person, with the option of being accompanied by a nominated individual. In each case, the names of the individual must be provided to the Club in advance and in writing. Nominated individuals cannot previously have been subject to any Club suspensions or sanctions.

Members and individuals under the age of eighteen (18) must be accompanied by their parent/legal guardian who may speak on their behalf. The Club will not pay any costs (including for the avoidance of doubt any travel, accommodation and all other costs and expenses) associated with anyone attending an appeal.

The Club will present the evidence used in their investigation and the Member or individual will have the opportunity to present any evidence submitted to support their case, such as witness statements or video footage.

If a Member or an individual does not attend an agreed panel hearing on the date and in the format selected or chooses to have the appeal heard in their absence, the Written Appeal process will apply.

Written Appeal

The Appeal Panel will review a written appeal and any supporting evidence submitted by the Member or individual (subject to that appeal and evidence being submitted within fifteen (15) calendar days of the Club sending the Sanction Notice). A panel will operate remotely to consider the appeal and provide a final written decision.

Appeal Panel Decisions

Appeal Panel decisions may withdraw, reduce, maintain or increase the original sanction and will be considered final. Minutes of in-person/virtual appeal panel hearings will be recorded and kept on file with details shared with relevant departments within the Club. The Club will provide the Member or individual with a written outcome of the appeal hearing within ten (10) working days of the appeal hearing.

In accordance with the Sanction Conditions in Part 3, the Club is under no obligation to refund of any monies paid for periods of ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction unless and only to the extent that such ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction is overturned by the Club's Appeal Panel on appeal. To the extent such ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction is overturned by the Appeal Panel, the Club will refund the cost of any tickets to Matches and/or Events paid for and missed as a result of such ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction.

The Club does not assume any liability by virtue of this Policy or otherwise for any other direct, indirect or consequential losses arising in connection with the ejection, suspension, ban or other sanction.

If a Member or an individual is not satisfied with the outcome of the appeal, they will be advised that they can take their case to the Independent Football Ombudsman.

Appeal Panel Members

Individual members of the Appeals Panel will be appointed at the Club’s discretion, providing only that they fulfil/perform at least one of the following roles/positions:

• an appropriate member of Club staff at manager or Head of Department level or above (as determined by the Club at its discretion);
• a member of one of the Club’s Diversity Action Groups; and/or
• a representative of the Football Supporters’ Association.

PART 5: EDUCATION AND RESTORATIVE JUSTICE

Discriminatory Language or Behaviour and Education Sessions

The Club may insist any Member or individual found to have used discriminatory language or behaviour attend an education session with an independent equality and diversity specialist before their full sanction is determined. A failure to agree to attend such a session will result in a maximum sanction.

The Club may require any Member or individual found to have engaged in Online Abuse or sending Malicious Communications to attend an education session with an independent equality and diversity specialist before their full sanction is determined. A failure to agree to attend such a session will result in a maximum sanction.

Restorative Conversation

The Club will insist that as a condition of returning to any of the Premises and/or social media account(s) being unblocked by the Club, any Member or individual found to have directly or indirectly engaged in Online Abuse or Malicious Communication or used violent, threatening and/or abusive language or behaviour towards other Members, Event attendees and/or members of Club staff, must enter a restorative conversation process with a Club representative at the Club’s offices. Such restorative conversation process may include an educational session on the Ground Regulations and the contents of this Policy, which, for the avoidance of doubt, shall take place prior to returning to any of the Premises and/or any social media account(s) being unblocked by the Club, if not completed before their sanction is served.