England football fans told to behave by German police ahead of Denmark match
A mindless minority of England fans were urged to behave in Frankfurt after chanting controversial war song Ten German Bombers.
It came after trouble in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, with Three Lions supporters reporting “total chaos” before the game against Serbia. Police are trying to calm the situation after queues at Veltins stadium and rival fans clashed earlier in the city centre.
The majority of England fans were well-behaved. Yesterday many of the expected 40,000 supporters began the 120-mile journey to Frankfurt for Thursday’s Denmark match. Frankfurt Police’s Marcus Heide said: “The vast majority of English fans are known for being open and spreading a positive atmosphere. We ask them to help ensure everyone adheres to the rules of being together. This will ensure that we all experience an unforgettable time together.”
Fans were also seen chanting Ten German Bombers in Dusseldorf on Sunday. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged them to stop and instead sing “Hey Jude” in honour of Jude Bellingham, who scored in the 1-0 victory over Serbia. Mr Sunak backed England boss Gareth Southgate’s appeal for fans not to sing about the Second World War.
England's Jude Bellingham (left) with his brother Jobe (centre) and his mum Denise (right)
He said: “What we want is to represent the best of our country at these tournaments.” If England win Group C they will be back in western city Gelsenkirchen on June 30 for the round of 16 game."
Thomas Concannon, spokesman for the Football Supporters’ Association, said the situation on Sunday was unacceptable. The Mirror saw queues wait more than an hour to get into the match. Earlier, 150 armed riot police ran down side streets as they tried to arrest Serbian and English hooligans. England fan Fil Sollof, 59, said: “Frankfurt is a great city and will welcome well-behaved England fans. The behaviour of most in Gelsenkirchen was fantastic but we are let down by a minority of idiots. I heard fans trying to stop the Ten German Bombers song.”
Harry Kane with his wife Katie Goodland
Some fans took more than four hours to get to their hotel from the match. Mr Sollof said some Uber drivers quoted €120 for a three-mile journey. He added: “It was a joke. We had to get taxis as trains were not running.”
Mr Concannon said an urgent and thorough review of arrangements is needed. He added: “We were given strong assurances the transport system would be capable of handling the amount of England fans due to arrive. It is remarkable despite facing the consequences of such inadequate provision and negligent crowd management, the thousands of England fans remained overwhelmingly calm. Thus helping to avoid more serious consequences.” Footage showed packed platforms but when trains finally arrived they were too full for all waiting fans.
One said: “Germany has the worst railway network in the world.” One said “Never again.” Up to 40,000 Scotland fans are heading to Cologne for tomorrow’s crunch match against Switzerland. Footage in Munich appeared to show Romania fans taunting Ukraine with chants of “Putin, Putin” during yesterday’s 3-0 win.