Friday, December 03, 2021
Storm on Wembley Stadium
EM final chaos could have ended fatally
Wembley Stadium is the place where Italy crowns itself the European football champions. But it is also the place where thousands riot without tickets, storm the stadium and cause riots. An investigation has now shown that this turns out relatively lightly, is pure luck.
The chaos caused by ticketless fans in London’s Wembley Stadium at the final of the European Football Championship could have been fatal. This is the conclusion of an independent study commissioned by the English football association FA, the results of which have now been published. The government, the police and organizers also have to put up with serious allegations.
Accordingly, there was a series of events before and during the game between England and Italy on July 11, 2021 (2: 3 after penalties) that could have led to “serious injury or death”. For example, the behavior of drunk and sometimes drugged fans who stormed the stadium grounds could have caused massive falls on stairs, trampling on people and collapsing obstacles, the report said.
According to the investigation, around 2,000 people without tickets had illegally gained access to the stadium grounds on the day of the final. Sometimes they jumped over turnstiles or opened fire doors or entrances for wheelchair users. Only around 400 could be removed again.
A total of around 100,000 people had traveled to the stadium, who turned the access route to the stadium into an unofficial fan zone. Only about 60,000 people were allowed. According to the investigation committee, the pressure on the stadium could have been reduced by official fan zones. Despite requests from the police, the government refused because of the corona requirements. At the same time, however, the announcement of a “Freedom Day” with the lifting of all corona measures for July 19, in conjunction with the first final participation in a major tournament in 55 years, led to a “perfect storm” of euphoria among the fans.
The police are accused of not correctly interpreting signs of the fans’ potential for violence. Inadequate foresight led to a “collective failure” of those involved in carrying out the major event.