I think the law is the only real way of sorting this out properly tbh. You can identify and ban the knobheads, but then they'll just find a way to sneak back in again after a while. Every steward on every gate can't be expected to recognise everyone who's banned - especially if they come in wearing masks, well wrapped up etc. Plus if you ban the it's really only for home games, leaving them to still cause problems away.
In my view the law should be changed to make encroaching onto the pitch illegal. It's the law in England, and so it;s extremely rare to see anyone on the pitch at games there as a resulr. There is no reason why anyone needs to be on the pitch - especially grown men acting like giddy children who feel it's their right to spill onto it when their club scores. The problem we have in Ireland, however is that the GAA has a long-established tradition of fans being on the pitch at key events - so it's hard to see how you'd get a ban legislated for without expressly stating that it's only for football.
Conversely - Bucking people out of the ground as soon as they go on the pitch would be a good start. Especially if it's a cracking game, you'll feel like a dick being stuck outside when everyone else is inside enjoying it. At an Irish League game I went to in Belfast a few years back, the minute someone tried to step onto the pitch after a goal the stewards grabbed them and marched them straight out of the stadium. No dicking around. All we do is put them back in the stands so they can come back onto the pitch yet again. Buck them out FFS.
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