An England footballer reportedly faces a court hearing after failing to register his XL bully dog.
The attacking star is the proud owner of Harlo but missed the deadline to register him in February last year, when it became a criminal offence to own one without an exemption certificate.
XL bully dogs were made illegal to sell, give away, or abandon in December 2023 after a spate of deaths involving them in the preceding couple of years.
In the worst-case criminal scenarios, a person can be jailed for six months or fined (or both) while the dog can be put down.
Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest will attend his hearing next months after it was delayed from its original day at the weekend, according to The Sun.
The case against Gibbs-White, 25, is a civil matter, not criminal, and the dog is unlikely to be put down as he has not attacked anyone. All the same, the police have reportedly applied for a destruction order.
Morgan Gibbs-White reportedly faces a court hearing after failing to register his XL bully dog
XL bully dogs were banned in December 2023 after a spate of attacks connected to them (file photo)
If a dog is banned but the court believes it is not a danger to the public, they may let the owner keep their beloved pet and stick them on the Index of Exempt dogs.
Gibbs-White is accused of failing to register his hound with the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. He has not made a statement. Daily Mail Sport has approached Nottingham Forest for comment.
XL bully dogs are not a specific type of breed, but rather the largest variety of American bully dogs.
They are allowed out in public when registered, but they must be kept on a lead and muzzled when out and about.
Furthermore, the owner should take steps to house them securely, microchip them, and neuter them.
The reasons behind Gibbs-White owning Harlo are not known, but security is a real concern for footballers and as such, some players have taken the step of getting an XL bully dog to protect their home.
Last year, it was revealed that Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya was training his XL bully dog Goku to defend him – even hiring experts from Elite Protection Dogs to prepare his pooch.
Blackburn star Todd Cantwell, then of Rangers, also spoke out against the ban after Rishi Sunak announced it in 2023, though it is not known whether he has one or not.
Gibbs-White will hope to add to his list of England caps over the upcoming international break
Gibbs-White was named in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Serbia.
He made his England debut in 2024 after being called up by interim boss Lee Carsley and has four caps for the Three Lions.
In July, he penned a fresh contract with Nottingham Forest, thought to be in excess of £120,000 and ending Tottenham’s hopes of signing the £60million-rated star – for now at least.
He also got engaged to his long-term girlfriend Britney De Villiers over the summer.
