Met officer dismissed for throwing flare and ‘tragedy chanting’ at Arsenal games
Detective Constable Gordon Irikefe was found to have committed gross misconduct at football matches between October 2022 and April last year.
A Metropolitan Police officer has been dismissed after throwing a flare into a crowd and “tragedy chanting” while attending football matches as a supporter.
Detective Constable Gordon Irikefe was found to have committed gross misconduct in acts of “unacceptable” football hooliganism at Arsenal games between October 2022 and April last year, the force said.
The officer was also handed a three-year banning order from any UK football matches following a hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, the Met said.
Det Con Irikefe, attached to the force’s Central South Command Unit, faced a misconduct hearing on Thursday after allegations he lit and threw a pyrotechnic into the crowd at an away match in Munich while off duty on April 17 last year.
He was arrested and fined 100 euros (£83) by German police the same day for wearing a full balaclava and sunglasses inside the stadium.
The hearing found he had breached the standards of professional behaviour for discreditable conduct, the force said.
Det Con Irikefe was also served with a court summons last October following a separate investigation by the Met’s Central Football Unit.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the officer had come to police notice on numerous occasions for disorderly and anti-social behaviour at football matches, for which he had received management action.
He was heard shouting “helicopter” at a match away to Leicester City in February 2023. The club’s former owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha died with four others when a helicopter crashed outside their King Power Stadium in October 2018.
Det Con Irikefe also allegedly made lewd gestures and shouted abuse at a substitute player at the match, as well as concealing his identity and intimidating other fans including by using pyrotechnics, the Met said.
An application for a football banning order was granted, meaning Det Con Irikefe is banned from attending any regulated football matches in the UK and must surrender his passport when asked for any away matches overseas.
He cannot go within one mile of Arsenal’s Emirates stadium, or two miles of any stadium where the England national team are playing, if they are playing four hours before and after the match, nor visit any town, city or London borough four hours before and after an away match, the force said.
Det Con Irikefe, who resigned on February 12 before being dismissed without notice, will also be placed on the College of Policing’s barred list.
Detective Superintendent Emma Bond said: “DC Irikefe has shown an unacceptable pattern of behaviour at football matches, for anyone, let alone a police officer who should uphold the highest of standards whether on or off duty.
“His actions have not only seen him now subject to a football banning order, but have also cost him his job.
“I am grateful to professional standards and football unit colleagues for pulling together the evidence in this case to ensure we have been able to take decisive action.”
