The sentence strikes me as quite shrewd in some ways- I doubt the fine will worry him if he's just been saved the trouble of renewing a Manchester City season ticket for three years, though! A four month curfew may be more effective than chucking him in prison for six-months-but-really-three-or-four, particularly if he's the breadwinner for a family who depend on his income to put food on the table and a roof over their heads. He'll also face a considerable amount of inconvenience over the next three years- the Premier League play 19 home league games a season, so that's probably 15 weekends a year plus cup games when he can't go into Manchester, 8 or 9 when he can't go to London and it also makes it difficult for him to book a trip to, say, Paris or Amsterdam or Barcelona during the cup season in case City are drawn away to the local opposition.
He did also admit the charges, so I suspect he found a sensible lawyer who advised him to accept the long-term inconvenience to avoid prison.
He did also admit the charges, so I suspect he found a sensible lawyer who advised him to accept the long-term inconvenience to avoid prison.