The chaotic and violent scenes at last year’s Euro 2020 final at Wembley can never be repeated, according to UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
An estimated 5,000 thugs stormed the barriers at Wembley before England’s encounter with Italy, while terrified spectators and stewards fled .
An independent review of the disorder at London’s national stadium last July identified more than 20 ‘near-misses’ that could have resulted in serious injury or death.
UEFA punished the Football Association with a two-game stadium ban, one of which is suspended for two years, and a fine of £84,560 for the sorry scenes that marred England’s biggest game since the 1966 World Cup final.
It is the first time England have been forced to play a game behind closed doors because of their own fans’ behaviour
And Ceferin, who attended the game, reinforced his disappointment speaking at the 46th UEFA Congress held in Vienna.
‘The images of violence at Wembley Stadium at last year’s Euro final was unacceptable,’ he said.
‘When a family goes to see a match of the Euro or of any competition, it’s time for fun, for enjoyment, for watching football.
‘People should feel safe in and around a football stadium. They should never ever feel danger and they felt danger. With the authorities’ help, this cannot happen again. Never.’
At Wembley, up to 250,000 fans were on the periphery of the stadium before kick-off, with thousands involved in anti-social behaviour, including drug taking and urinating in public.
Fuelled by alcohol and dancing on broken glass that was thick across the pedestrianised street from Wembley Park underground station all the way to outskirts of the ground, some fans partied hard, lighting flares, scaling lamp posts and sitting atop of any accessible roof.
Thousands decided to try their luck and illegally grab one of the 30,000 vacant seats at Wembley after the capacity for the game had been cut from 90,000 to 60,000 in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
