July 20 – The English FA has commissioned an independent review as it seeks to avoid a repeat of the “disgraceful scenes” at Wembley Stadium that marred England’s appearance in the final of Euro 2020.
Hundreds of ticketless fans gained entry by storming the gates, clashing with police and stewards in drunken scenes that shocked the world, with 86 officers injured and 19 arrests.
FA chiefs said they had informed the government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) of the review and vowed to identify the culprits.
“We are determined to fully understand what happened outside and then inside Wembley Stadium at the UEFA EURO 2020 Final on Sunday 11 July 2021,” a statement said. “A key emphasis of the findings will be to ensure that lessons are learned and such disgraceful scenes are never able to be repeated.”
“At a time when we should be celebrating the achievements of the team, we are focused on how our stadium team of police, security and stewards had to battle the horrendous actions of thousands of lawless yobs during a six-hour siege – something no stadium is set up to deal with.
“The FA has been hit with four charges by Uefa surrounding the behaviour of fans and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in a letter to the DCMS that the incident “brought shame to the whole country”.
“We were faced with thousands of yobs outside the stadium, many of whom were drunk or intoxicated in other ways. Subsequently large numbers also tried, often violently, to force their way into Wembley from public areas,” he wrote.
“Their behaviour was unacceptable, dangerous, often criminal and showed total disregard for the law and other people. No police officer, steward, security staff or genuine fan should be subjected to this type of sustained public disorder.”
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