The European Union has detailed the timeline of events in the final match between Spain and France that led to a number of players being sent off. UEFA’s disciplinary panel will now decide which teams get what sanctions, while Russia remains on course to host Euro 2020
The “bbc news” is a news website that provides information on the Euro 2020 final disorder. The article includes a timeline and witness accounts of those at the game.
Ros Atkins on the Wembley disaster
“It was like a queue of 6,000 zombies trying to get in,” said one fan who didn’t have a ticket. To get in, one individual “hijacked a crippled child’s wheelchair.”
The awful images seen by genuine fans, employees, stewards, and police during the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy at Wembley have been detailed in a thorough report.
As 2,000 people without tickets managed to get into the stadium, causing what has been described as a “national day of shame” that could have resulted in deaths, there was rife drunkenness and drug-taking, police dogs being kicked and officers being attacked, bodies “flung to the floor,” and players’ families “scared for their lives.”
The following is a complete chronology of events from July 11, 2021, as recounted to Baroness Casey’s review.
08:00
12 hours before kick-off, fans begin to assemble at Wembley Stadium for the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy. It is the first major event final for the home team in 55 years, since they won the 1966 World Cup.
09:02
Fans without tickets are reportedly waiting at bars near the stadium, according to a Brent Council employee. The following is an excerpt from a WhatsApp message sent to council colleagues, FA and Wembley officials, the police, and other local partners: “Speaking with fans…none of whom had purchased tickets and were just there for the event. It’s possible that this will be a major aspect of the day.”
According to a colleague in Brent Council’s licensing department, bars had informed them that supporters without tickets had allocated seats for the game. “Expectation is that our streets will be full with street drinking, especially among those who are not attending the game since most people simply want to come for the atmosphere,” she adds.
10:00
Outside the stadium, crowds of people who have consumed alcohol begin to assemble. A London Underground employee notes the degree of inebriation: “I’ve been doing this for more than a decade and have worked on a variety of other special occasions, including New Year’s Eve. I’ve never seen so much intoxication so early in the day.”
Substantial quantities of narcotics, mainly cocaine, were also ingested, according to subsequent testimony. According to the research, 47% of the 7,000 ticket holders who took part in the evaluation witnessed illicit drug use when they arrived at Wembley Stadium.
Furthermore, stewards and security personnel think that there was a significant amount of drug usage. According to a representative from the Sports Ground Safety Authority, “The use of drugs was obvious. It needed four or five stewards to subdue someone, which is more than the typical amount when supporters are inebriated.”
11:30
The Silver Commander of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) recommends that police be sent to the stadium before of the major deployment.
Throughout the day, the police are exposed to violence, according to one Wembley external safety manager: “One ‘fan’ assaulted a police officer out of nowhere, with no warning, just marched up and hit him… That’s the first time I’ve ever seen anything like that.”
11:35
Crowds congregate at the Olympic Steps, which serve as the primary entrance to the stadium from Olympic Way (also known as Wembley Way).
12:00
Fans board a bus outside the stadium on Fulton Road in Wembley and climb onto the roof. “The passengers on the bus was the first indicator to us that things weren’t in the correct place… the first red flag was people on the bus and Fulton Road…that was the trigger for me,” said someone from Brent Council.
12:15
Officers were sent about 11:30 a.m. to rescue the stranded bus.
13:00
As flares are thrown off and people climb neighboring traffic signals, the MPS Match Commander briefing begins at Brent Civic Centre near the stadium.
The acts raise worries among people who are working on the final product.
According to a representative from the FA/Wembley, “Flares were a major source of worry for me. I recall seeing someone with a red flare standing on a concrete wall. That was out of the ordinary. Pyrotechnics are uncommon at Wembley; they are more common in Europe.”
In addition, a representative from Brent Council stated: “It was like a football match from the Middle Ages. It was risky because things were being thrown into the air. Climbing trees and traffic lights was a popular pastime. Things had come to a halt.”
13:30
Officers from the British Transport Police are deployed from downtown London to Wembley Stadium.
13:45
When FA asks when additional cops will come, MPS says it will be at 15:00.
14:30
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) sends out 175 policemen 30 minutes sooner than expected to Wembley Stadium. On Olympic Way, the route that connects Wembley Park Underground station to the stadium, fireworks, smoke bombs, and glass bottles are hurled.
Several hours before kick-off, Olympic Way was busier than normal.
15:00
A total of 50 more public order police and 100 expert public officers from the MPS Territorial Support Group arrive. Volunteers are not allowed to be deployed, and municipal personnel are also removed for their own safety.
Arriving at Wembley Stadium, a ticket holder said: “That seemed like I was in a battle zone; I’d never seen anything like it before. Vandalism, yob behavior, shattered glass, glass being hurled, very inebriated individuals, a really unpleasant environment for a lone girl. The police were scarcely seen.”
“I saw bottles and cans being hurled at people, children crawling behind their parents to hide, trees being cut up and thrown, climbing on rooftops and tossing stuff into the crowds,” another remarked.
15:53
Before police arrive, a crowd tries to knock down barricades at Bobby Moore Bridge.
16:12
On Twitter, the MPS warns against going to Wembley Stadium without a ticket. Around 3,000 people arrive every 15 minutes by late afternoon through the Wembley Park Underground station.
16:30
The stadium’s Outer Security Perimeter (OSP) gates will open as scheduled. According to the MPS, there is “a fear that significant numbers of unticketed supporters would attempt to force their way onto the concourse,” and “contingency arrangements have now become a priority.”
The OSP will not hold, according to a Wembley external security manager, but it will be alright.
He said, ” “The OSP fence was our main worry. We reported it…we were informed [by Wembley authorities] that it would hold and that the police would assist us in making it function.”
16:58
The Safety Officer opens the doors/gates to allow admission, and the council and police licensing team leave for their own safety at 17:00.
“I felt a terrible sensation of discomfort that I had never experienced before as disruption and violence looked imminent,” one unnamed England supporter, who has been following the team since 1969, stated.
17:01
The first individual seen tailgating (at Gate A) is detained by stewards. Tailgating is when one fan closely follows another to obtain access under one ticket.
17:25
The top of the Spanish stairs, which link the stadium to the SSE Arena, is breached by a throng. All turnstiles are locked by the Safety Officer, and the Casey study claims that authorities are caught off guard.
One person stated: “Nothing could have prepared anybody for what was about to happen. But it wasn’t like they weren’t leaping over ahead of time. They began leaping as they saw others entering.”
And things become much worse when a Wembley level one manager with military experience says “Even for me, it was terrifying. This wasn’t your typical ‘loutish’ mob… I’ve had enough practice to recognize them “.. “It was hand-to-hand battle, groups of 40-50 soldiers at a time,” stated another level one manager.
17:33
More MPS reserves are being sent to Wembley, raising the total number of officers to 553.
To cope with the masses, officers were sent.
17:43
Outside the Co-op on Olympic Way, a throng grows enraged. 8 At approximately 16:00, it ran out of beer, but closed when a police officer was struck in the head with a bottle and a throng attempted to destroy the store windows.
17:46
Because of the increased crowd density on the outside concourse, the Safety Officer releases turnstiles after sending reaction teams as reinforcements.
18:01
To reduce crowd density, the Safety Officer temporarily suspends Covid-19 lateral flow inspections. At 18.41, they are reintroduced. Figures eventually revealed that on Euro Sunday, Covid-19 levels in the stadium and surrounding region reached an all-time high. According to Test and Trace statistics, 2,295 persons who attended the event were likely to be infectious, and a further 3,404 people might have contracted coronavirus while attending or traveling to/from the game.
18:07
The outer security barrier of Club Wembley is breached as a throng breaks down the fence line.
18:29
A mob tries to break through Gate M, which is a disabled pass gate. The majority of individuals engaged are repelled by police and stewards.
18:34
When employees utilize Gate K to remove a tailgater, almost 70 individuals breach the disabled pass gate.
Several disabled gates were utilized to attempt to break into the stadium, and several youngsters were injured as a result of the events.
According to testimony obtained by Level Playing Field, one fan pretended to be a steward: “He has pushed [son’s] wheelchair towards the entrance… We figured out what was going on just as we got to the entrance, and it turned out he was simply a high-viz jacketed England supporter who was basically stealing a wheelchair to get into the stadium.”
18:45
Turnstile/Gate G is breached by a mob, and Gate H, a handicapped pass gate, is breached by 200 persons.
18:47
Around 90 individuals break through Gate H’s emergency fire door, which is opened from the inside by a fan, and this happens again at 19.41. Pass Entrance C is breached by a throng when security opens the gate.
The personnel at the stadium welcomes you. To evict tailgaters, Gate D was disabled. For the first time, a crowd tries to break through the fence. Twenty individuals get access to the inside entrance, but police and stewards keep them back. This happens five times more at 18.56, 19.00, 19.15, 19.44, and 19.46.
18:53
At the request of the Safety Officer, police officers are deployed to all turnstiles.
The power on emergency fire door magnet locks is increased from 25% (the default setting) to 100% by Safety Office.
18:54
Barrier C, a handicapped pass gate, is breached, and 70 persons gain access to the interior sections. Gate G fire doors are forced open from the outside by a crowd.
Then 350 individuals obtain access to the stadium’s interior regions. This happens again at 19:06. The magnetic fire door locks’ power has been increased to 100% by the Safety Officer. This happens again at 19:10.
Some England players’ families got seats at Gate G, and they described the experience of supporters swarming the stadium. “There was a tsunami of people simply hurled to the floor, including a little guy in a wheelchair – it was terrible, awful,” one player’s father recalled.
Another England player’s partner added: “Suddenly, there was a rush from behind, with individuals attempting to pass. Another individual just drew me aside and told me to join him in the line behind him. I was with my kid, and we were both in pieces, and I was terrified for my life.”
19:11
To expel additional tailgaters, stadium personnel open Gate B, a disabled pass gate.
A crowd tries to break through the barrier, and 20 individuals get access to the inside entrance, but police and stewards stop them.
19:31
After a throng destroys the gate at the foot of the Olympic Steps, police dispatch policemen to the area.
19:41
Gate H is reopened, and within 30 seconds, 100 individuals had entered the stadium. People have been observed being pushed to the ground and trampled. Officials who saw the occurrences claim that the presence of the police had no influence.
“We required a PSU [Police Support Unit] at every turnstile,” an external safety manager stated, “but even that may not have held.”
“I’m not convinced ten extra police units would have worked,” said another. “It’s the first time I’ve seen someone rush towards and kick the [police] dogs,” an FA/Wembley official remarked.
19:56
As the national anthem of England is performed, the crowd charges the Olympic Steps OSP.
19:58
Two Police Support Units ‘quick walk’ with batons on the Olympic Steps to disperse the gathering.
20:00
The Euro 2020 final begins, as the atmosphere of the throng outside the stadium deteriorates. “Once the game began, and people realized, ‘I’ve got to watch this game,’ it just had a little more of an edge to it,” a London Ambulance Service crew member said.
For those who had bought tickets, the behavior inside the stadium is extremely frightening. According to a poll respondent, “In front of us, people were using cocaine, and behind us, others were smoking narcotics. My boys sobbed throughout the most of the game, terrified by the events that unfolded around us.”
20:02
After just two minutes, England’s Luke Shaw scores, and the South West Ramp’s outside gate is packed.
20:37
Turnstile G’s huge emergency escape doors need to be repaired after a breach.
21:15
The council reported “a substantial gathering standing off with police at the top of the [Olympic] stairs,” while police tell tactical partners that gangs are circling Wembley seeking for vulnerabilities.
21:38
A crowd pulls over a temporary signpost structure at the Olympic Steps, trapping two persons for a short time.
The Metropolitan Police Department made 51 arrests in connection with the final investigation.
22:02
Extra time starts, and fans are still looking for ways to get in.
“It was continuous for six hours – even in extra time, there were people standing like zombies on the queue, wanting to get in,” one FA/Wembley official stated of the sight.
According to a communication from the police aircraft, there are around 6,000 people outside. “They were simply standing there, not even watching the game on their phones,” the report said.
22:49
Overcrowding Gate G fire doors were forced open for the third time from the outside by shoving the unattended exterior entrance open. The inside stadium portions are open to 30 persons.
Officials in the stadium said they want Italy to win the match because they are afraid of what the crowd will do if England wins.
According to a spokesperson for the Greater London Authority, “I was hoping for a penalty shootout victory for Italy. I was pleading for the situation to develop because the pressure was mounting and building, and all I could think was, ‘If they win, that charge would be uncontrolled.’”
And if Gareth Southgate’s England had won, a London Emergency Services official said: “It would have been a nightmare. And we’d have had to announce a major crisis, and I’m sure we’d have been on our knees in both central London and Wembley.”
22:52
The stadium’s safety officer unlocks the doors to enable supporters to exit.
22:54
Italy won Euro 2020 on penalties after defeating England.
23:10
Outside the stadium on Olympic Way, fans kick over makeshift toilets.
00:13
“Bloody hell what have people done,” a Brent Councillor writes in response to a photo of the damage left behind on WhatsApp.
00:30
The supporters’ main exit has been built.
Italian fans are insulted by English supporters on the way home. “Italian fans were exposed to racial insults on the way to the stadium and away from it,” one poll respondent stated.
On the train, we had employees intervene to safeguard Italian supporters from being assaulted, according to a Chiltern rail official. On the way in, England supporters yelled at a three-generation family, including a grandfather and a grandchild.”
It takes five days to clear up 31 tonnes of trash, which is ten times the average matchday amount and includes damaged trees, urine, and feces. Many employees declare they will never do it again.
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The “Euro 2020 final disorder” is a timeline and witness accounts of those at the game. The match was marred by violence, which resulted in UEFA imposing a one-match stadium ban on Croatia’s players. Reference: paper headlines.
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