I don't think the judge ruled "...even if they're a protected class", but I didn't read the ruling. And the actual case isn't even about what football team the candidate likes, so it's a bit odd to me the judge trotted out that line of reasoning. So, yeah, I can see where this ruling as precedence could be abused.

Unfortunately, it doesn't apply to me since I'm in the US not the UK and my "no Chelsea fans" hiring rule won't get air cover. GO Gunners!