Hooligan 'godfather' in football grounds ban

Gilroy Shaw was given a Sports Exclusion Order in 1988, police said

A man dubbed the "godfather" of football hooliganism in Wolverhampton has been banned from all professional grounds in the country.

Gilroy Shaw, 47, was given the Football Banning Order at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on Monday.

Shaw, of Selwyn Road, Bilston, has been a "prominent figure in hooligan circles for almost 30 years," West Midlands Police said.

The order bans Shaw from attending matches for five years.

Wolves supporter Shaw has been banned from its home ground Molineux since 2010 and must also stay outside a five-mile exclusion zone at stadiums involving the club for three hours before and after kick-off.

'Minions throw the punches'

West Midlands Police said it applied for the civil injunction after amassing a "huge backlog of evidence" detailing his involvement in football violence and association with "risk" supporters.

Ch Insp Nick Rowe said: "Shaw is a familiar face at fixtures at home and abroad and tends to be at the centre of disorder, inciting rival fans, threatening violence, and getting involved in mass brawls.

"He has been the number one target for us for some time but in recent years has become almost a godfather figure, organising and instigating violence and then slipping away while his minions throw the punches, hurl the missiles or damage property."

A total of 166 people are currently the subject of Football banning Orders (FBOs) in the West Midlands but most orders are "tagged on to" criminal court convictions, the force said.