Derby football fans told to 'keep passion on pitch'

Suffolk Police said 400 officers would be working the East Anglian derby on Sunday

Football fans attending the upcoming East Anglian derby are being urged to "keep the passion on the pitch" by police.

Ipswich Town take on Norwich City at home in Portman Road on Sunday, with about 2,000 Norwich fans expected to be travelling down.

The match will be the first time the clubs have faced each other since last April because of Town's spell in the Premier League last season.

Ch Insp Matt Breeze of Suffolk Police said there would be 400 officers working the match and the force would take action against those offending.

The East Anglian derby was last played at Portman Road in December 2023 and ended in a 2-2 draw

"It's a very passionate day without a doubt," he said.

"A lot rides on this for both clubs and the supporters, and with that comes a lot of passion, which we want to keep on the pitch and in the stands, and not fall over into the streets.

"We recognise that it is a day that we need to step up some of our plans, that's why we've got additional resources in order to cover some of the eventualities that we anticipate."

Suffolk Police will be supported by officers coming from Norfolk, and there will also be mounted officers working the match.

Thousands of fans were expected to be in attendance during Sunday's match

Ch Insp Breeze said the force was aware "the majority of people coming to the football want to enjoy their day".

"The message is for those who don't want to do that and are intent on causing disorder, anti-social behaviour or criminality, we have a really good policing operation wrapped around this and we will deal with that robustly," he continued.

"The consequences of that could be court cases, and we will pursue people through those courts.

"We can ask for banning orders that prevents somebody attending football matches, which I'm sure a lot of true fans will find really impactive."