England fans have been warned they could be committing an assault if they throw pints in celebration at fan parks and pubs in their World Cup clash against Wales on Tuesday evening.
The Three Lions take on Rob Page's side in their final Group B clash and England need just a point to qualify for the knockout stages, while a win will ensure they top the group. Meanwhile, Wales have to win and hope USA draw with Iran, or they beat the Three Lions by four or more goals.
It is poised to be a nervy night in Qatar with both teams aiming to get to progress through to the last-16, but those emotions will also be felt back home in the UK, too. Fans of both countries have been gathering at fan parks and pubs to support their teams from home, with only a couple of thousand supporters heading out to the Middle East.
There were a number of clips posted on social media of England fans celebrating their 6-2 win over Iran last Monday, with some supporters throwing pints up in the air in jubilation. A video emerged of the fans at Boxpark, Croydon, with one cup hitting another fan while other cups were seen flying in the air.
However, England fans could be punished if they deliberately target another fan by throwing their pint, whether that be in anger or as a celebration. According to licensing expert Poppleston Allen, lobbing a cup of alcohol is allowed, but purposely hitting another person(s) is an assault.
In a Q&A, Allen said: "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 offence.
"However, in practice, operators must strike a balance between running their premises responsibly, with a view to preventing crime and disorder, and allowing natural exuberance, which is sometimes translated into throwing lots of beer in the air if a goal is scored by England or Wales or, indeed, any other country which fans are supporting.
"It may be more inflammatory to seek to prevent this practice and, therefore, general advice is if it is good natured and customers are not offended, then no intervention would be necessary or sensible."
Venues could also face a punishment and lose their licenses if fans behave poorly - on or off the premises.
