England fans throwing beer in celebration ‘could face assault charges’

The bizarre trend of beer-throwing to celebrate an England goal is all the rage at fan zones

England fans who launch pints of beer into the air in celebration could end up being liable for assault, a licensing firm has warned. The Three Lions have stormed into the quarter finals of the World Cup after a 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday evening. Gareth Southgate's side have hit the back of the net 12 times so far in Qatar, giving fans in fan zones and pubs plenty to cheer about. And every goal scored by England has been accompanied by some fans deciding to launch their pint of beer in the air, a bizarre trend that seemed to start last summer during England's run to the final of EURO 2020. It's become so popular that venues like BoxPark have started handing out ponchos so that fans can stay dry during games.

Venues like BoxPark across the country have shared footage online of the pints being chucked around in crazy celebrations.

https://twitter.com/HLTCO/status/1597872913008701440 https://twitter.com/TheMancUK/status/1597930949756321792 Whilst the decision from some fans to lob their beer in the air has annoyed some, it turns out there could be much more serious implications for pint-throwers. In an online Q&A, Poppleston Allen explained that it could land fans in serious trouble. The firm explained: "There is no specific licensing reason why [fans aren’t allowed to throw beer], [but] in terms of criminal activity, clearly if an object such as a glass or even a polycarbonate is thrown deliberately, that would be an assault or an attempted assault.

"Throwing plastics full of liquid in the air which may hit someone, but probably not cause damage, is not likely to be a criminal activity, but could be regarded as reckless which can be criminal.

"If it is part of a generally aggressive group behaviour it could be a public order offense."

So, if you're heading to a venue for the England v France quarter final on Saturday night, maybe think twice about chucking that pint in celebration. And, if the threat of committing a crime isn't enough to put you off, maybe remind yourself just how much you paid for that pint... Related links: 

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