A Manchester United fan has been banned from all UK matches until 2018 after he was caught trying to take a flare into a Premier League match.
27-year-old James Finnegan was arrested outside the Liberty Stadium in Swansea ahead of United’s match on 30 August.
At Swansea Magistrates Court he pleaded guilty to possession of a smoke bomb.
As part of his sentence he was fined £500 and banned from entering Manchester city centre or the area around Old Trafford four hours before and six hours after any football fixture.
The ban also prevents Finnegan from from attending any city centre where Manchester United or England are playing, and will have to surrender his passport for selected fixtures played abroad.
A spokesman for the Liberty Stadium said it had a “zero tolerance approach to pyrotechnics”.
Swansea football liaison officer, PC Jason Gibbs, said: “Over the years since Swansea?s elevation to the Premier League we have worked hard with the football club and the stadium management company to create a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere at the Liberty Stadium.
“Fireworks, flares and smoke bombs have no place within a football stadium and we will not tolerate any fans who put others in danger.
Anyone whose behaviour falls short of the mark will be dealt with and face the prospect of being banned from attending any future matches in the UK for a considerable period of time.
