A Met officer was fired following misconduct hearings for hooligan acts at Arsenal games. He’s also banned from the Emirates.
A court also banned him from the Emirates area during game times. The ban was decided on February 24th due to separate legal action.
The hearing learned that he threw a flare into a crowd at a Bayern Munich vs Arsenal game in Munich on April 17, 2024. He was off duty at the time. German police arrested Irikefe that day. He wore a balaclava and sunglasses inside and authorities fined him €100 for hiding his face.
He worked for the Central South Command Unit. The hearing decided his actions were gross misconduct, violating professional behavior standards. Irikefe quit on February 12th. Because he was still an officer during the hearing, they fired him immediately.
The Met’s Central Football Unit investigated to obtain a football banning order. This order aims to prevent violence and disorder. Irikefe received a summons on October 10th. Since October 2022 he drew police attention due to disorderly and anti-social behavior at football matches, including the incident in Germany. He had already been disciplined.
In February 2023, people heard him making cruel chants and shouting “helicopter” at a Leicester City match. Other claims include lewd gestures and shouting abuse at a player. He also hid his face and scared fans using pyrotechnics.
The court granted a three-year banning order, prohibiting Irikefe from attending regulated UK football games. He must surrender his passport if asked for games outside the UK. He cannot go within one mile of the Emirates during Arsenal games, applying four hours before and after the match. He also can’t visit certain areas during away games, also applying four hours before and after.
He must stay two miles from England games, both four hours before and after. After his dismissal, he will be on a barred list. The College of Policing keeps this list, which prevents people on the list from working for UK police or police oversight bodies.
Emma Bond leads policing for the Central South area. She spoke about Irikefe’s unacceptable behavior, stating that it was unacceptable for anyone, especially a police officer. She stated his actions cost him his job and thanked everyone who helped gather evidence, which helped them take decisive action.