Eight fans facing criminal charges after trouble
Daniel Boffey
One England fan and seven Serbs are facing criminal charges and tournament bans after the brawl involving 150 people ahead of Sunday’s Euros game.
The violence in central Gelsenkirchen, in west Germany erupted after England fans had sought to enter a bar full of Serbia supporters, German police said at a press conference on Monday.
One English fan was treated at hospital but discharged himself in order to attend the game.
A total of 150 people are believed by police to have been involved in the violence which saw chairs, bottles and tables upended, and leaving several fans and at least one police officer with heavy head wounds.
Peter Both, the police chief in Gelsenkirchen said: “The Serbian fan group was already in the restaurant and obviously ate there and then a larger group of English fans then tried to get into this restaurant as well. And that’s exactly what sparked the dispute.
“What we can hardly say now, of course, in retrospect, is did the Serbs refuse entry to the English or did the English provoke the Serbs. Of course, this can hardly be brightened up afterwards. The fact is that when they tried to enter the pub, there was an immediate physical altercation.”
Both said criminal proceedings would be pursued against the eight men taken into custody and they would recommend orders banning them from the rest of the tournament.
He said: “We subsequently made several detentions. We carried out a total of around 50 identity checks. We took eight fans into custody before the game, who were then unable to watch the game.”
Both said that the behaviour of the England fans had otherwise been “great”. “If we had predicted in the opening press conference that there would be one detention [of an England fan], then we would all have gladly taken it”, he said.
He added: “Why did the police only take seven or eight people into custody when there were 150 people running around? The first issue is that you can only take someone into custody if you can make an individual accusation. So the ones where we can say either via video recordings or via personal evidence from deployed police officers, I can prove that you threw this chair, you threw this glass, you hit that one, have seen that, I can prove it, only those are then taken into custody accordingly.
“We have everyone’s personal details and are now in contact with the organiser, with the organiser, with Uefa, because we would already make a recommendation to Uefa. They can see if these people still have tickets for other games and we would recommend that these tickets are then blocked for the next games.”
Key events
It’s a unique experience watching a national team play (and lose) when surrounded by that nation’s supporters.
I highly recommend it.
Morgan Ofari clearly thinks the same way as he went to The Corner Terrace restaurant on Ealing Common and tucked into pljeskavica and gibanica as Serbians watched their side succumb to England.
It’s a cracking piece. Do take a read:
Nick Ames
Want more Nick Ames? You’re in luck:
Finally a baking hot day at Euro 2024 and a suitably sunny scene in Munich, the yellow shirts of Ukraine and Romania fans making a vibrant picture in the city centre. Andriy Shevchenko, nowadays the Ukraine FA president, has just held court to an adoring crowd of Ukrainians in Wittelsbacherplatz. He was opening a temporary exhibition in which a section of stand from Sonyachny stadium in Kharkiv, the Netherlands’ training base at Euro 2012 but destroyed by Russian shelling a decade later, has been displayed for public viewing. Shevchenko, a strong orator and convincing statesman, addressed fans and media rousingly for around 25 minutes before heading to Allianz Arena – where I’m going now, too.
Sheva interview:
Romania piece (for balance):
Reader Ali Tabari was in Gelsenkirchen last night. Glad to know it wasn’t all bad:
What was amazing about last night was that everyone in the Ruhr region has been unfailingly friendly and polite since we got here, yet (from chatting to them beforehand) they all knew and expected it would be a nightmare last night. Even the Germans have no faith in their mythical efficiency. The stadium volunteers were conspicuous by their absence after the game, and there was a very dangerous crush developing at the north end of the ground. There was a huge police presence, none of whom appeared to know how to help. Getting my 11 year-old home at 2am local time was no fun at all- I wouldn’t like to be one of his teachers when he gets back to school tomorrow…
Sonyachny Stadium in Kharkiv is one of 500 Ukrainian sports facilities to have been damaged by Russian attacks.
Before the Group E game against Romania later today, a section of a stand will be displayed at Wittelsbacherplatz in Munich.
Nick Ames explains all:
I wonder if Jindrich Stanek genuinely thought he’d be playing for his country in the Euros while on duty for seventh-tier Hyde United.
Football can be a strange game and the journey goalkeepers have to take is even stranger.
Will Unwin lifts the lid on a remarkable odyssey from non-league English football to one of the grandest stages in the world:
It’s always great to hear from a coach or player in their own words. Yes I know that some press officer or the like would have cast their eyes over the copy, but this is good stuff from Belgium’s manager.
Can he finally – finally – get group of individual superstars to pull in the same direction? Is Belgium forever destined to be less than the sum of its parts? We’ll get a better sense later today. For now, let’s hear from Domenico Tedesco:
Apologies to anyone who is finding the Bellingham hype a little cringe, but I can’t get enough.
I was getting a shave on Friday and the bloke next me was gushing how, “he speaks like a 40-year old!” (Bellingham, not our barber).
It’s true, he’s so mature, so self-confident, so at easy in his own skin.
Exhibit #479:
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You don’t need me to tell that Ukraine’s opening fixture carries a degree of – how do I put this – social significance.
But, how clued up are you on their coach Serhiy Rebrov or his favoured 4-5-1/4-3-3 formation?
Don’t fret. We’ve got you covered:
Luke Taylor, who covers events in Latin America from Colombia, was in Gelsenkirchen where he witnessed the ‘chaos’ first hand:
“[I] have travelled to Germany with my brother and my Dad for our first ever international tournament together.
We had a fantastic day yesterday but the disorganisation at the end of the night was really disappointing.
I was glad to see Liew’s piece on the chaos getting home after the match last night. The match finished at 11 but we did not make it back to Gelsenkirchen from the stadium until after 1am. There simply were not enough buses, trams or trains put on. It’s only normally a 15-20 minute drive…
It’s astounding really. The stadium is outside the city but how do the logistics work when Schalke play here? It makes you wonder if the mess was due to incompetence or just indifference from Uefa towards fans who have travelled hundreds of miles and spent thousands to follow their teams, and who are really what make these tournaments so special.
Eight fans facing criminal charges after trouble
Daniel Boffey
One England fan and seven Serbs are facing criminal charges and tournament bans after the brawl involving 150 people ahead of Sunday’s Euros game.
The violence in central Gelsenkirchen, in west Germany erupted after England fans had sought to enter a bar full of Serbia supporters, German police said at a press conference on Monday.
One English fan was treated at hospital but discharged himself in order to attend the game.
A total of 150 people are believed by police to have been involved in the violence which saw chairs, bottles and tables upended, and leaving several fans and at least one police officer with heavy head wounds.
Peter Both, the police chief in Gelsenkirchen said: “The Serbian fan group was already in the restaurant and obviously ate there and then a larger group of English fans then tried to get into this restaurant as well. And that’s exactly what sparked the dispute.
“What we can hardly say now, of course, in retrospect, is did the Serbs refuse entry to the English or did the English provoke the Serbs. Of course, this can hardly be brightened up afterwards. The fact is that when they tried to enter the pub, there was an immediate physical altercation.”
Both said criminal proceedings would be pursued against the eight men taken into custody and they would recommend orders banning them from the rest of the tournament.
He said: “We subsequently made several detentions. We carried out a total of around 50 identity checks. We took eight fans into custody before the game, who were then unable to watch the game.”
Both said that the behaviour of the England fans had otherwise been “great”. “If we had predicted in the opening press conference that there would be one detention [of an England fan], then we would all have gladly taken it”, he said.
He added: “Why did the police only take seven or eight people into custody when there were 150 people running around? The first issue is that you can only take someone into custody if you can make an individual accusation. So the ones where we can say either via video recordings or via personal evidence from deployed police officers, I can prove that you threw this chair, you threw this glass, you hit that one, have seen that, I can prove it, only those are then taken into custody accordingly.
“We have everyone’s personal details and are now in contact with the organiser, with the organiser, with Uefa, because we would already make a recommendation to Uefa. They can see if these people still have tickets for other games and we would recommend that these tickets are then blocked for the next games.”
For me, the most interesting sports stories are the ones that collide with the real world. And it doesn’t get more real than the rise of right-wing politics on the continent.
The French football team – historically one of the country’s institutions that fully recognises, embraces and celebrates France’s multiculturalism – has seemingly taken on a unified stand to raise alarm over the political turmoil brewing in their country.
After captain Kylian Mbappé called on France’s youth to vote against rising ‘extremes’ in the election, Marcus Thuram added that, “We all need to fight daily so that this doesn’t happen and that the National Rally does not succeed.”
Keep an eye on this one.
I’ve missed a sitter.
Thanks to Ray Granger who has helped spare (some of) my blushes by pointing out a mistake in my preamble.
Today’s fixtures are not in fact the end of the first round of the group stages. We’ve yet to see Turkey, Georgia, Portugal and Czechia.
Thanks Ray.
Gareth Southgate was equally chuffed with his young star’s show.
Jacob Steinberg reports on the Gaffer’s presser post-match, saying Bellingham “writes his own script”:
Jacob scored Bellingham’s performance with an 8/10. Incidentally, Declan Rice, John Stones and Marc Guéhi also received that score. A good sign for England’s spine. Not great scores though for some attacking players:
David Hytner was also in Gelsenkirchen. You can catch up with his match report here:
On the pitch at least, it went (sort of) well for England. Their 1-0 win over Serbia gets their tournament up and running and, according to Barney Ronay, they have one man to thank.
Have we ever seen an English player like Jude Bellingham? Wayne Rooney’s intrioduction to the Three Lions was certainly more explosive. Maybe even Michael Owen’s leap into stardom was more dramatic. But I’m with Barney on this one. I’ve not seen a more complete footballer at this age before.
So, while the hype train is steaming ahead at full tilt, let’s add some more discourse to the narrative:
UEFA and treating fans like criminals: It’s a tale as old as time.
Sadly, no matter who is in charge, no matter which nation is playing, no matter where the match is taking place, fans can now predict that they’ll be treated with disdain.
Jonatha Liew was at the Arena AufSchalke (after some delay) and witnessed this poor treatment for himself last night.
Have you got a story that you’d like to share?
Daniel Boffey
It was quiet after the match between England and Serbia in Gelsenkirchen and the German police will be pleased that they kept the violence isolated to one outbreak. The policing was generally impressive. No nonsense and very responsive to any issues and they kept the two fans wide apart but they did so with as little drama as possible. Lowish profile until it was needed. Good omens for the tournament.
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Good morning and welcome to our our live Euro blog. It’s Day 4 which means that after today, we’ll be have a sharper view on which teams mean business and which teams are here to make up the numbers.
At 2pm BST, we’ve got Romania v Ukraine. With respect to the Romanians, I think most of us will be looking at the Ukranians, wondering how their country’s ordeal might galvanise them and their loyal supporters.
Then at 5pm it’s Belgium v Slovakia. Are we still referring to Domenico Tedesco’s team as a golden generation? Can Kevin De Bruyne propel his team to, well, not glory, but respectability at least?
And closing out today’s programme we have Austria v France at 8pm. The French are the pre-tournament favourites with Kylian Mbappe odds on to win the Golden Boot. But the young captain has grabbed attentions for non-football reasons, calling on his fellow French youths to vote against rising “extremes” in the upcoming national election.
Should be another cracking day of footy.
If you’d like to get involved why not drop me a mail.
