Ban for Man Who Made Nazi Salute at AFC Wimbledon vs MK Dons Game


Alan Strank can't go to a match for next three years


Alan Strank

A man who made a nazi salute at the game between AFC Wimbledon and MK Dons earlier this year has received a three year ban from all football grounds.

42-year-old Alan Strank of Guildford, Surrey made the racist gesture at the Cherry Red Records Stadium towards MK Dons supporters on 9 April this year.

There is a history of animosity between fans of the two teams because the Milton Keynes based team were formed by the relocation of the former Wimbledon FC.

Strank, appearing at Wimbledon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 3 November, pleaded guilty to a racially aggravated offence under Section 4 of the Public Order Act.

In addition to the three year football banning order, he will have to undertake 50 hours of unpaid work in the community and pay a £180 fine.

The court heard that during the match, which took place at the Cherry Red Records Stadium on 9 April, Strank was seen making a Nazi salute towards the away supporters.

The incident was not reported on the day but an investigation was launched after a thorough post-event review of all body-worn and CCTV footage.

Police Constable James Crawley, the investigating officer, said, “Racism has no place within football, or indeed in society, and those who engage in such behaviour should be under no illusion that they are committing a crime. The consequences of that crime were clearly demonstrated today.

“Genuine football fans and players are fed up with this kind of toxic discourse surrounding the game and we will use all the policing powers available to us to stop it from happening.”


Value Reading Articles Like This? Help Us Produce More

This site remains committed to providing local community news and public interest journalism.

Articles such as the one above are integral to what we do. We aim to feature as much as possible on local societies, charities based in the area, fundraising efforts by residents, community-based initiatives and even helping people find missing pets.

We've always done that and won't be changing, in fact we'd like to do more.

However, the readership that these stories generates is often below that needed to cover the cost of producing them. Our financial resources are limited and the local media environment is intensely competitive so there is a constraint on what we can do.

We are therefore asking our readers to consider offering financial support to these efforts. Any money given will help support community and public interest news and the expansion of our coverage in this area.

A suggested monthly payment is £8 but we would be grateful for any amount for instance if you think this site offers the equivalent value of a subscription to a daily printed newspaper you may wish to consider £20 per month. If neither of these amounts is suitable for you then contact info@neighbournet.com and we can set up an alternative. All payments are made through a secure web site.

One-off donations are also appreciated. Choose The Amount You Wish To Contribute.

If you do support us in this way we'd be interested to hear what kind of articles you would like to see more of on the site – send your suggestions to the editor.

For businesses we offer the chance to be a corporate sponsor of community content on the site. For £30 plus VAT per month you will be the designated sponsor of at least one article a month with your logo appearing if supplied. If there is a specific community group or initiative you'd like to support we can make sure your sponsorship is featured on related content for a one off payment of £50 plus VAT. All payments are made through a secure web site.


November 3, 2022