Selfie sticks join knives and fireworks on football's banned list

A football fan takes a selfie at a game using the stick

Selfie sticks now rank alongside darts, fireworks, knives and other weapons at several Premier League grounds.

Manchester United and Arsenal have confirmed the devices - which fix onto a camera or phone to allow a better photo - are not allowed at matches.

Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, have said selfie sticks will be confiscated at the gates of White Hart Lane.

It follows a complaint by a Spurs fan who said that his view had been obstructed.

So are selfie sticks being banned because they're annoying or dangerous? Or both?

A spokesman at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium told Newsbeat the extendable poles are outlawed because they could be used as a weapon.

At Spurs they were barred from the stadium after fan @LiamCSWY complained one of the extendable poles obstructed his view.

He tweeted a copy of an email he received from a member of the Spurs "customer care team" with the comment: "Victory".

The new rule was imposed for the first time on New Year's Day as Tottenham beat Chelsea 5-3.

Selfie sticks are classed, unsurprisingly, as "poles or sticks" by Manchester United

The Spurs email said stewards are being briefed about confiscations prior to the next home fixture.

At Chelsea's ground, Stamford Bridge, you can actually buy a Blues-branded stick in the club shop - but it's unclear if you can take them into matches.

Manchester United posted on their homepage that selfie sticks or mono-pods are not permitted to games - alongside other outlawed items such as fireworks, knives and flag poles.

A spokeswoman for the club said they have "always been banned from the stadium".

Spurs pitch invasion thought to be for an internet prank in November last year

Officials at Arsenal said: "We can confirm that selfie sticks are banned on match days at Emirates Stadium.

"The club's ground regulations prohibit any object that could be used as a weapon or could compromise public safety."

Fears over stadium safety were highlighted recently, when three men were fined for a pitch invasion thought to be for an internet prank at White Hart Lane.

Spurs' Europa League game on 27 November had to be temporarily halted shortly before half-time.

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter and Radio1Newsbeat on YouTube