Supporters of Manchester City and Chelsea have been banned from attending this summer's FIFA Club World Cup tournament in the United States, it has been revealed.
The revamped competition takes place across the pond between June 14 and July 13, with 32 teams from six confederations taking to the pitch across 12 venues and 11 cities in the United States.
Chelsea and City, who have both won the competition in the past after winning the Champions League, are the two Premier League representatives and have been placed in Group D and Group G respectively.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Inter Miami, Fluminense and River Plate are among the big hitters participating in the hope of winning just short of £100 million in prize money.
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But it's emerged that 150 fans from City and Chelsea have been prohibited from flying out for the showpiece.
According to The Sun, fans who have received Football Banning Orders imposed by the courts could have their plans thrown into disarray as they are poised to receive a letter demanding they surrender their passports.
In line with new legislation, those who have been punished for poor behaviour must hand over the document to the police for five weeks while the Club World Cup takes place.
It follows on from a similar approach being adopted for Euro 2024 in a bid to limit trouble amongst fans.
Commenting on the crackdown, Policing Minister Dame Diane Johnson said: “Many Manchester City and Chelsea fans will want to travel to support their teams in this summer's tournament and we want them all to do so safely and enjoyably.
"But for the tiny minority of troublemakers who use football as an excuse for criminality, we will be applying the same proven preventative measures that we have successfully done for other overseas tournaments.”
Club banned from the World Cup
The supporters are not the only ones banned from attending the tournament. Mexican side Club Leon have been kicked out after they “failed to meet the criteria on multi-club ownership”.
Leon, who FIFA determined were linked to fellow Mexico side CF Pachuca, were slated to be in the same group as Chelsea but a replacement will be confirmed in due course prior to the tournament getting underway.
It has been reported that FIFA are tying with the idea of having a play-off decide who gets the final spot.
FIFA Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, FC Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami
Group B: Paris St-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle Sounders
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica
Group D: Flamengo, Esperance Sportive de Tunisie, Chelsea,
Group E: River Plate, Urawa Red Diamonds, Monterrey, Inter Milan
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg
Topics: Manchester City, Chelsea, FIFA Club World Cup
Josh Lawless