Football yob barred from matches

From the archive, first published Friday 4th Jun 2004.

A football thug has been banned from travelling to Euro 2004 after he jeopardised England's qualification chances by ignoring FA and Government appeals not to travel to last October's tense away qualifier with Turkey.

Oxford United supporter Keith Miles was stopped by an England football spotter outside the Fenerbache Stadium in Istanbul and told to leave the area or be arrested.

The threat of being booted out of Euro 2004 hung over England if any fans managed to get to Turkey and misbehave.

On June 3, at Oxford Magistrates' Court, District Judge Brian Loosley banned 40-year-old Miles from attending domestic and international matches for three years.

Miles, of Colemans Hill, Headington, Oxford, has until Sunday night, June 6, to hand over his passport, preventing him travelling to the tournament. He is also banned from the World Cup in Germany in 2006.

In a first for Oxfordshire, he was banned under civil law after police presented a dossier of trouble-making dating back 10 years.

Normally bans are imposed after hooligans receive criminal convictions for violence at football matches. The court was told how:

Police hauled Miles off a plane waiting to depart for Portugal amid fears he might cause trouble at England's friendly there in February. He was allegedly wearing a badge saying "England Hooligan", and was on court bail for another football-related matter

He was suspected by police of having sympathies with far-right groups and being a member of the Oxford United hooligan organisation the South Midlands Hit Squad

Miles organised a drinking marathon to mark St George's Day which ended in a massive city centre brawl in April

He had business cards made with the St George's Cross and the words "No Surrender" an alleged reference to the right-wing slogan "No surrender to the IRA".

Miles denied being a football hooligan and said he had been victimised and targeted by certain police officers.

Speaking after the hearing, Oxford police football intelligence officer Dc Huw James, who compiled the case, said: "The FA and British Government made it clear that if there was any disorder at the Turkey v England game, England could have been stopped from participating in Euro 2004.

"For all we know, Miles and the friend he was with could have formed a bigger group with like-minded individuals and caused disorder, resulting in England being kicked out.

"Oxford police football unit has worked hard over many years to piece together intelligence on people like Keith Miles, with a view to eventually having enough evidence to ban them from football matches.

"We are really pleased to have obtained this banning order as it is the first one obtained by us under the civil court process."

He said Miles could also have posed a risk if he had been allowed to travel to Euro 2004.

"Knowing Keith Miles and the intimidation he metes out at football, it's highly possible he could have got into trouble in Portugal," he said.

He said the civil ban sent out a clear message that hooligans still face action if they escape convictions for football violence.

Miles said after the hearing: "I'm not very happy about it. I am going to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights.

"There has been a problem between me and Dc Huw James, which he denies.

"Yes, I have political opinions against the IRA, but I am not a racist towards black or Asian people. I am not a member of any far-right groups."

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