Thousands of England fans descend on German pubs ahead of Euros clash with Serbia
More than 30,000 England fans are expected to descend on Gelsenkirchen in Germany ahead of the Three Lions’ clash with Serbia in their first match of the Euros tonight.
Police in Germany, England and Serbia have deemed the match “high-risk,” with fans served lower-alcohol beer in the stadium and banned from drinking in the stands.
Policing is expected to be more challenging after UEFA asked for barriers to be removed inside the stadium, while both sides will be seated close together and two-thirds of tickets will go to mixed areas.
“I think it’s a very high-risk game because of the history, because of the hooligans both sides have,” chief inspector Christof Burghardt told Sky News.
He added: “Serbia has many hooligans. The English guys, with alcohol, they are sometimes very aggressive.
“So it’s a great job to do this, to prepare, so that hopefully nothing will happen.”
England fans in Gelsenkirchen ahead of England’s match with Serbia (Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
UK police officers are on the ground in Germany to help with policing with their German counterparts in case of any incidents (Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)
England will play Serbia this evening at 9pm local time (8pm BST) at the Veltins Arena in Gelsenkirchen, which is approximately an hour’s drive from Dusseldorf.
Members of the British police force have also travelled to Germany ahead of the game to monitor fans and supply their German counterparts with intelligence.
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PC Stuart Dickerson from the UK football policing unit has been monitoring the thousands of Three Lions fans flocking to German pubs throughout the day.
He said: “There are a lot of English supporters that are known to us with previous convictions for football violence across the country.
“So, we’ve been identifying those people to our guys here and just advising the local police that if a like-minded group, say from Dusseldorf or Italy, were to come through there’s every chance that there will be violence.”
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Dickerson added that England fans are “drinking beer that’s a lot stronger than they’re used to and people tend to get carried away and do things they don’t do at home.”
Over 10,000 Serbian fans are expected to attend the game, with Gelsenkirchen’s chief of police Peter Both raising concerns that around 500 hooligans bent of violence will also be attending.
Police have warned fans will be drinking beer that is ‘a lot stronger than they’re used to’ in Germany (Photo: PA)
Security has been ramped up over concerns about Serbian ‘ultras’ during England’s opening match (Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA)
Mr Both told The Guardian that there is a “blind spot” in the force’s intelligence on how the current generation of young men in their 20s may behave.
He said: “There is one area where we perhaps all have a bit of a blind spot. If you look at the fact the last major tournament which you could really travel to from almost anywhere, I mean the last public tournament, was the 2016 European Championship, and this was eight years ago.
“Since then, the fan scenes have, of course, developed. And today these fans are in their mid-20s, so they are at a stage where they might also switch to becoming part of an aggressive camp of fans, but, of course, it makes it difficult for us to predict exactly what will happen.”
While more than 1,000 German police officers will be on duty tonight, supported by hooligan spotters and a riot unit, Mr Both said that water cannons would not be deployed.
The Football Association has warned England supporters that they will have their tickets confiscated for future Euro 2024 games if they are caught misbehaving.
Some 30,000 England fans are expected to descend on Gelsenkirchen in Germany ahead of the Three Lions’ clash with Serbia (Photo: PA)
The FA has warned England supporters that they will have their tickets confiscated for future Euro 2024 games if they are caught misbehaving (Photo: PA)
“We hope that all fans will continue to keep in mind the importance of representing England in the right way whilst abroad,” the FA wrote in communication, seen by i, to England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) members, a group of core fans who pay for membership.
According to the communication, “any unacceptable behaviour whilst following England may result in… withdrawal of future match tickets (including during the tournament)”
“Our presence here is an opportunity to demonstrate the best of England, both on and off the pitch,” the communication added. “The FA will not tolerate any excessive behaviour and will always investigate reports of inappropriate behaviour with the utmost urgency.
“Members are ambassadors for the England team and should act in such a way that will continue to enhance the image of English supporters and the national side on the world stage.”