UEFA perform huge U-turn on rule that only applies to England's last-16 Euros match
UEFA have performed a major U-turn ahead of England's last-16 match at Euro 2024 on Sunday.
England return to Gelsenkirchen this weekend, having played their opening group game against Serbia there. That game was deemed a "high-risk" fixture by German police and only low alcohol beer was available at the ground.
As a result, many England fans were affected by a shortage of trains and trams as they attempted to reach the ground after boozing elsewhere. The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) argued ahead of the game that England did not deserve to be singled out.
"It's frustrating that ticket-holding England fans have seen stadium alcohol restrictions against them when others haven't," the FSA said. "While we encourage fans to arrive early at the stadium, with those same restrictions not being applied at the England fan zones it doesn't help in convincing them to do so."
And fans could be affected by similar problems for the last 16 match, with UEFA confirming to the Times that only low-alcohol beer will be available at the game just hours after a spokesperson said full-strength beer would be served to fans.
Following England's 1-0 win over Serbia, the FSA issued a furious statement about the "serious issues in Gelsenkirchen" that affected fans' travel plans. "We are dismayed at what fans have had to go through," they said.
"To see fans stranded three hours after the game has finished due to transport problems at a major tournament is quite simply ridiculous. Ahead of the tournament we made it clear to Uefa and the authorities that many, many thousands of England fans would be travelling to Gelsenkirchen from the outer towns and cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, and that transport back to Gelsenkirchen Hauptbahnhof [the railway station] from Arena AufSchalke had to be the biggest priority."
England fans will be served low-alcohol beer at their last 16 game
They also warned that there is the potential for a repeat this weekend as, despite the game kicking off three hours earlier, the possibility of extra-time and penalties could lead to "another late departure in darkness".
"It is clear to us that an urgent and thorough review of arrangements is needed before that event, with lessons learnt and dramatically enhanced provisions put in place," they added.
"The initial defensive response of authorities locally suggests a complacency out of sync with what was required. The FSA, along with the FA and the UK Police, engaged with local authorities in advance of the first game and it is essential that we are involved in any review of plans."
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