Politicians in the UK have always been keen to show their footballing credentials and affinity with fans. Keir Starmer, the current UK prime minister, was no different: he was quick to allow English and Welsh pubs to remain open until 5 am for England’s match against Mexico during the FIFA World Cup.1 The frontrunner to replace Starmer as prime minister, Andy Burnham, has also attracted recent press coverage by highlighting the different rules on consuming alcohol at football games versus rugby games in England.2 He was visiting the home stadium of Everton football club for a rugby league game when he noticed that alcohol was allowed in the stands, which is not allowed at a football game. He remarked on video, “Something wrong there. I think we need to look at that.”This comment was hardly a manifesto pledge, but is enough to awaken memories of the reasons for the current…
