Well-heeled fans are put on final warning by Wembley

The infamous prawn sandwich brigade have been reminded to behave themselves before the Carling Cup final on Sunday. It seems that the curtailed silent tribute for the victims of the Munich air disaster before England’s match against Switzerland this month may have spooked officials at Wembley, to judge from a memo sent to members of Club Wembley, owners of the stadium’s most expensive seats.

Bad behaviour at football matches is nothing new, but it would certainly not do in the exclusive wining and dining areas that provide such lavish income at modern stadiums, particularly Wembley, where Club packages range from £1,618 to £6,532 for season tickets, not to mention the one-off ten-year debentures of between £4,676 and £19,296.

Nervousness has spread to the corporate hospitality areas, where the richest fans could become rowdy after a few chilled white wines and copious lagers. Club Wembley is an unsegregated area where fans from Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur will be able to mix in the carpeted bars. That brings its own dangers and Wembley has banned aggressive or abusive behaviour and inappropriate chanting. Club Wembley members are also reminded that they are not to wear team shirts.

There is also the clampdown on members selling on their tickets, with a warning that this remains a criminal offence. As Wembley tells its corporate members: “Finally, we remind you that you are responsible for the actions and behaviour of your guests. We ask that you please forward this note on to any friends, family or clients using your tickets to ensure that they are also aware of the rules.”

So now they have been told.

Flintoffs aiming for the perfect delivery

Andrew Flintoff’s comeback will be on hold for a fortnight so that he can be present at the birth of his third child. Rachael, his wife, is hoping that the new member of Team Flintoff will arrive at the start of April so that hubby can fulfil training commitments in Dubai with Lancashire and still be available for the start of the county season. He missed the birth of Corey but is crossing his fingers that No 3 is in that two-week window of opportunity. We wish them well.

— Shane Warne reveals that his final season with Hampshire will be interrupted for a week as the cricket legend is committed to a poker tournament in Las Vegas. With retirement beckoning, it seems as though Warne fancies himself as a professional. Bet he’s good at that, too.

— Lewis Hamilton looks quizzically at The Insider and asks who was that nice Italian man with the spectacles. Hamilton was the centre of attention at the gala celebrity dinner that followed the Laureus World Sports Awards in St Petersburg. He was sipping a mineral water when the Italian asked in rather good English for the Formula One driver’s autograph. We were happy to inform Hamilton that his admirer was Fabio Capello, the England manager.

E-mail: theinsider@thetimes.co.uk