A Met police officer was fired after engaging in football hooliganism, including tragedy chanting at games.
Detective Constable Gordon Irikefe was the officer involved. The police deemed his actions “unacceptable.” This bad behavior occurred at Arsenal games between October 2022 and April of last year. The court banned him from attending UK games for three years following a hearing. The Met Police confirmed this information.
Irikefe, who was part of the Central South Command Unit, faced a hearing regarding his actions, specifically throwing a flare into a Munich crowd on April 17 last year. German police arrested him that day and fined him 100 euros (about £83). He wore a balaclava and sunglasses in the stadium.
The hearing concluded that he violated conduct standards, which the police force deemed discreditable.
Irikefe received a court summons last October stemming from another police investigation handled by the Met’s Central Football Unit.
The court was informed of Irikefe’s previous actions involving disorderly and anti-social behavior at games, for which he had received prior warnings from his superiors. He shouted “helicopter” at a Leicester City game in 2023, a chant considered deeply offensive due to the team owner’s death in a 2018 helicopter crash.
Irikefe also made lewd gestures at a player, shouted abuse, hid his face, and intimidated fans, in addition to using flares, according to the Met. The court subsequently granted a football banning order.
Under the order, Irikefe is prohibited from attending any regulated UK football matches and must surrender his passport for overseas games. He is barred from the area one mile around Arsenal’s stadium and two miles around stadiums hosting England games, both four hours before and after each game. Additionally, he cannot visit the town of away games during the same timeframe.
Irikefe resigned on February 12. However, he was dismissed without notice regardless and will be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
Detective Superintendent Emma Bond commented on the case, stating that Irikefe’s actions were an unacceptable pattern, especially for a police officer. She emphasized that officers must maintain high standards, even when off-duty. Bond stated that his actions resulted in the loss of his job and the imposition of a football banning order.
She expressed gratitude to the professional standards and football unit for their collaborative effort in gathering evidence, which enabled them to take decisive action in the case.