Scunthorpe United fans handed bans for criticising club
Video report by Katie Oscroft
Fans of a crisis-hit non-league football club have been banned from matches for criticising the management.
Several Scunthorpe United supporters have been ordered not to enter the Glandford Park stadium after speaking out online.
Banning orders are normally issued to fans for abusive or violent behaviour.
But Scunthorpe owner David Hilton has sparked a row about freedom of speech after apparently taking issue with critics.
In a message to affected fans, the club wrote: "Good morning, the club would like to inform you of a banning order being placed on you with immediate effect. Kind regards, Scunthorpe United Football Club."
Among those to be banned was Matt Ellis, a lifelong fan who runs The Iron Bru podcast.
He said: “Normally you see people being banned for things like pitch infringements or altercations outside the ground.
"Of course, for honest fans like myself and my fellow fans who’ve been banned, it’s a little bit of a shock, really, because this is not the reason we’ve been banned."
He said issuing bans in an attempt to silence dissent created "a void between the fans and the club".
"You need as many fans as you can get," he said. "I feel a little bit aggrieved.”
The move to silence unhappy fans has added to the mood of chaos surrounding the club, which dropped out of the football league last year amid mounting financial problems and now play in the National League North.
Mr Hilton bought the club in January this year, but announced he was putting it up for sale last week. There is uncertainty over the future of the ground, which is still owned by former owner Peter Swann.
The Football Association said it was aware of serious allegations relating to the financial past of Mr Hilton and is investigating.
The club's social media accounts were deactivated on Tuesday.
Tony Gosling, chair of the independent supporters' Iron Trust said fans should not be prevented from airing their views.
He said: "We enjoy freedom of speech in this country, and although we don’t condone supporters attacking organisations or individuals on social media, nor do we condone the club banning supporters for having an opinion.
"We are at the moment in a very crisis situation but I am hopeful that we can turn that round. It’s all about the community of Scunthorpe [and] North Lincolnshire, and it’s about having a football team that does well and promotes the area."
The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) said supporters "should be free to make fair and legitimate criticisms of any club owner without fear of punitive bans".
It added: "For the record a club can’t issue a football banning order either – that’s a court order which comes with other restrictions such as handing in [a] passport when England play away. But a club can ban fans from their premises, which is what’s happened."
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