Euro 2024 chaos as fans breach fan zone after gates closed early due to overcrowding
Dozens of fans stormed a Munich fanzone just hours ahead of the opening game of Euro 2024.
Hosts Germany opened the tournament against Scotland on Friday evening at the Allianz Arena. While the stadium was packed, ticketless fans were forced to take in the game at a designated fanzone.
Fans queued from 11am to ensure they got a space. But it did not take very long for the venue to reach capacity, with fans turned away by 3pm.
But in an effort to get in, some supporters scaled fences and bolted in despite the entrance being closed. Queues of well over an hour were also witnessed at the food and drink vendors.
The scenes in the Munich fanzone were just the latest in a long line of issues that organisers have had to deal with ahead of the tournament.
A fanzone in Berlin was also closed on Friday after a suspicious object was found. A statement from Berlin police read: "A suspicious object was found in the entrance area on Scheidemannstrasse #Fanzone . This area is currently not available to fans. Our colleagues are checking the object."
After a matter of hours, the fanzone was then reopened. An update said: "Our colleagues have now examined the object. It is a backpack and poses no danger. The restrictions will be lifted shortly."
Meanwhile, there were also shocking scenes earlier in the week. A bar fight broke out on Wednesday evening ahead of Friday's curtain raiser.
Fans after crawling under a fence to get inside the fanzone.
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Two individuals appeared to get into an argument with supporters in Marienplatz, in the heart of Munich. A scuffle broke out before the pair left. They then returned and started throwing chairs at a group of Scotland supporters.
Police eventually arrived and took the duo away. The incident occurred at around 9:30pm local time. Two Scottish fans, according to The Record, were also arrested as the violence spilled over.
Organisers will certainly hope that the trouble subsides as the tournament gets into full swing. England's opening group game with Serbia has been designated as a 'high-risk' fixture. Up to 500 Serbian hooligans are anticipated to be out in force ahead of Sunday's meeting in Gelsenkirchen.
FA chief Mark Bullingham said: “Over the last few years, our England fans have been absolutely brilliant support to us, particularly in the stadium. There are a lot of people going to come out here. The best thing that the fans can do to help us do well in this tournament is be a tribute to their country.
"The German police have proved they are really good at policing football tournaments so there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case again. But really the main message is: get behind the team and support in the right way.”
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