In the run-up to the final at the European Championship between England and Italy, it was mainly the English fans who caused the necessary tumult. A large group of supporters without tickets tried to break into Wembley, after which supporters with tickets started a confrontation and stewards were unable to control the situation. While director of the English Football Association Mark Bullingham has announced an investigation into the incident, more details are becoming known.
This is how it writes the Mirror Tuesday that Andrea Mancini, son of Italian national coach Roberto Mancini and former Manchester City player, became entangled in the chaos and was forced to watch the first half of the final from a different place. Players’ wives from the English national team also had to be taken to safety. “There was a big mess with fans without tickets,” said Mancini junior. “My seat was taken, so I had to watch the first half from the stairs of the stadium. In the second half I found another place. Maybe that brought luck.”
Videos show several people breaking through the gates of Wembley. Initially it appeared that the unticketed fans had only broken through the first security line, which gives access to the area around Wembley. However, the images show that supporters also managed to get into the corridors of the stadium. There they found supporters who had entered with a valid ticket. They were not pleased with the intruders. Several fights then ensued, in which the intruders were apparently dealt with harshly.
Big fight between fans with and without a ticket at Wembley
Dozens of fans without tickets tried to enter the stadium on Sunday during the final between England and Italy.
The director of the English Football Association, Mark Bullingham, has now announced a full investigation into the scenes at Wembley. “We will conduct a full investigation and work with the police to get everyone involved and make sure this never happens again,” Bullingham told the newspaper on Monday. BBC. “We have a fantastic security team at the stadium and they had never seen anything like it. I have to apologize to all the fans whose experience has been compromised and to everyone involved. We run a stadium, not a fortress.”
It is estimated that there were about 250,000 England fans outside Wembley. Sky Sports analysts and presenters were forced to leave their live studio near Wembley after fans threw bottles of booze at the studio windows. “On the advice of Sky Security, Wembley Park and UEFA, we have moved the broadcast location to another location on the site,” said a spokesperson for the British broadcaster.
the Mirror writes that fans openly snorted drugs, bribed flight attendants and assaulted and threatened fans into entering Wembley. It is estimated that about ten thousand fans managed to enter the stadium without tickets. The family area turned out to be one of the hot spots. When the players’ wives and other family members, who were staying at the nearby Hilton Hotel, went to their seats an hour before the game, most places turned out to be occupied. Stewards were too scared to intervene because of the intimidation. Police have made 49 arrests, while 19 officers were injured in the violence.