England given Wembley ban by UEFA after crowd trouble at Euro 2020 final against Italy
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Updated 18/10/2021 at 15:07 GMT
Ticketless England fans clashed with police and stewards during the Euro 2020 final with Italy, with many forcing their way inside of the stadium. UEFA's disciplinary panel have handed England a two-match stadium ban, with one of those suspended for two years, and a 100,000 euro fine. The ban throws into doubt England's ability to host future international tournaments.
”It’s nonsense to think that fan trouble will cost us 2030 WC” Sadiq Khan
England will have to play their next home match behind closed doors as punishment from UEFA for crowd trouble at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
Ticketless England fans clashes with police and stewards as they forced their way into the stadium ahead of England's first final appearance since 1966, against Italy in July.
UEFA's disciplinary panel have handed England a two-match stadium ban, with one of those suspended for two years, and a 100,000 euro fine.
The stadium ban means there will be no fans at England's opening game of their 2022-23 Nations League campaign.
A statement from the FA read: “Although we are disappointed with the verdict, we acknowledged the outcome of this UEFA decision. We condemn the terrible behaviour of the individuals who caused the disgraceful scenes in and around Wembley Stadium at the Euro 2020 final, and we deeply regret that some of them were able to enter the stadium.
“We are determined that this can never be repeated, so we have commissioned an independent review, led by Baroness Casey, to report on the circumstances involved. We continue to work with the relevant authorities in support of their efforts to take action against those responsible and hold them to account.”
Under UEFA rules the FA is responsible for the behaviour of England fans, and England's governing football body requested a personal hearing with the panel over video conference.
Capacity for the match had been reduced from 90,000 to 60,000 due to coronavirus restrictions, and with 30,000 spare seats in the ground many ticketless fans and those with tickets too began to cause trouble even five hours before kick-off.
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Fans crowded the Olympic Way during the UEFA Euro 2020 Championship Final between Italy and England at Wembley Stadium
Image credit: Getty Images
Fans reported seeing fans urinating and taking drugs in the densely populated residential area, while ticket-checking cordons had been breached in the hours ahead of kick-off, with fans outnumbering stewards and police.
Many fans with tickets entered the stadium to find their seats had been taken by those who had entered the ground illegally.
There were 19 police officers injured during the operation, with 49 arrests made.
The scenes at Wembley in July have thrown into doubt England's ability to host the 2030 World Cup, for which it is considering a joint bid with the home nations and Ireland. Wembley would host the final.
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