City fans banned from travelling to Wolves

Peter Ridsdale has issued the following statement on the official website, www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk

We have been informed by the Chairman of The Football League that The Football League Board, on the advice of the West Midlands Safety Advisory Group, has decided to ban all Cardiff City supporters from our match at Molineux scheduled for Saturday 20^th January 2007. We will be taking urgent steps to attempt to reverse this decision. The Football League Board took this decision without giving Cardiff City Football Club any opportunity to discuss the situation or to make any representations with regard to away supporters at this fixture. Whilst we acknowledge that there have been incidents at Molineux at our last two away fixtures, we are still waiting for the Welsh FA to conduct the hearing regarding the fixture on 11^th March this year. We are confident that at such hearing we will have been shown to have taken all appropriate steps to ensure the safety of all supporters.

Cardiff City Football Club does not accept that this decision is correct or that it improves safety. Indeed we believe that this decision is more likely to put more pressure on policing. We also believe that to take such decision without allowing any input from us, detracts from any system of natural justice.

We will be consulting the South Wales Police, our own Safety Advisory Group and our supporters and then we will seek an urgent opportunity to meet with the Football League to point out the injustice of this decision and to attempt to put in place a better solution that allows away supporters to attend in a safe environment for all.

Last season's fixture saw riot police clashing with fans in the refreshment area, as the statement above says an FAW hearing is still waiting to happen regarding that. I was there at the game and have my own opinions of the actions of the police. While City fans cannot deny starting a minor disturbance near the kiosks the over reaction of the police turned it into a far worse situation that spiralled out of control.

Now it looks as though City fans will be kept away without the club having the chance to argue their case. The pic shows the stewards and police patrolling the stand after the incidents on the concourse at the match last March.