Northumbria Police make public how many fans arrested at Sunderland v Newcastle derby match

Northumbria Police have revealed how many fans were arrested in connection with the Sunderland v Newcastle match.

The last derby in January 2024 which Newcastle United won 3-0 on Wearside in the FA Cup, saw Northumbria Police insist on it being a ‘bubble match’.

This meant all Newcastle United fans had to travel on official organised transport to the match, as a condition of getting a ticket for the derby.

For Sunday’s derby, ‘bubble’ restrictions weren’t imposed.

However, an agreement between the two clubs has restricted the allocation to only 2,528 away fans for both derbies, instead of the 3,000+ they would normally get.

Following the Sunderland 1 Newcastle 0 match, Northumbria Police then made public later on Sunday just how many arrests had actually been made, with the ‘bubble’ restrictions lifted.

The actual number of fans arrested in connection with the derby was only one!

Northumbria Police Assistant Chief Constable Helena Barron, stating that: “Ensuring the safety of the public is our utmost priority, therefore we had an increased presence in Sunderland and Newcastle today…The policing operation for the match between Sunderland AFC and Newcastle United FC passed largely without incident, with the overwhelming majority of both home and away fans behaving respectfully and appropriately. We would like to thank fans from both sides…”