As the fervour grows around England’s EURO 2020 final match with Italy, more and more fans have been trying to get into Wembley without having a ticket.
Despite Wembley Stadium’s earlier statement saying no ticketless fans had gained access into the stadium, it has become evident that there have in fact been breaches.
There have also been reports of more significant trouble around the stadium, and that may be why the security staff have been unable to cope with the situation.
Wembley have issued a new statement: “There was a breach of security and a small group of people got into the stadium. We are now working closely with stadium stewards and security to remove these people. Anyone inside the stadium without a ticket will be instantly ejected”
A Tweet from the location outlines the disturbing scenes that some were experiencing in trying to gain entry via the turnstiles.
There were supposed to be three strict safety precautions fans with tickets had to follow before getting into the ground.
The first one stage was to pass a Lateral Covid test. The second was to have a ticket. The third was to have a ticket, which then gets activated after the second check. That ticket is then scanned at the turnstile before being searched as you enter.
However, our reporter at the game was witness to ticketless fans who had gained access, as there were with dozens walking simply past the few stewards around.
(Image: Alan Smith)
(Image: Alan Smith)
It is hard to see what the security staff, many of them quite young, can do in such circumstances. There was reports of trouble on all sides of the stadium, and police presence was light inside, presumably called away to deal with what was happening elsewhere.