Oldham Athletic pitch protesters to face club bans

Dozens of supporters took part in the protest, which saw the game having to be completed behind closed doors

Oldham Athletic fans who staged an on-pitch protest during the game which saw them relegated from the Football League will face stadium bans and be reported to the police, the club has said.

The players were taken off by the referee as supporters staged a sit-in against owner Abdallah Lemsagam during the defeat by Salford City in April.

A Latics spokesman said the process of identifying those involved had begun.

He said the club would also now take "a zero-tolerance approach" to breaches.

The 2-1 loss on 23 April ended 116 years of league football for the Boundary Park club, and also saw them become the first former Premier League team to drop into non-league since its creation in 1992.

The game had to be completed behind closed doors after the protesters refused to leave the pitch and had to be removed.

The relegation rounded off a miserable spell for the club, which has seen increasingly acrimonious protests against the owner.

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In a statement, the club said they were working in "close co-operation with Greater Manchester Police" to identify the fans who "encroached on to the pitch".

"The first group of identified fans will receive letters notifying them of a club ban of three years," a spokesman said.

"This action does not preclude the ability of the police to prosecute those who committed the offence of encroachment."

He said that "in future, the club will operate a zero-tolerance approach to all breaches of the law", adding: "Those receiving club bans should be aware that there is no appeal process in place."