According to an independent study, the violence during the Euro Euro finals revealed the negative side of British society, which could lead to loss of life.
The 129-page documentary, led by Baroness Louis Casey, points out that the July events at Wembley must be a “wake-up call” for British society and that efforts must be made to change fan culture.
“The behavior of many English fans was not only utterly shameful, but also ruthlessly endangered other people’s lives. The day that was to become a celebration of national pride became a day of national disgrace,” Casey said in the study.
The final duel of the European Championship, in which England lost to Italy, was accompanied by violence. Home fans fought the police and some of them broke into the stadium without tickets. 19 police officers were injured and 86 hooligans were detained during the rampage.
“The behavior of fans on the Euro must be a wake-up call for all of us. For too long, we have considered such behavior to be normal, as part of our national culture. Instead of strongly opposing it,” the study said.
Casey sees the inexperience of the organizers, the late arrival of police reinforcements, but also the influence of alcohol and drugs on fan behavior as the causes of the violent scenes at Wembley.
The football association recommended a massive campaign to improve the fan culture. According to her, people under the influence of alcohol or people who hate slogans and chants should not have access to the stadium at all. The vulgar and often xenophobic insults that footballers face on social networks and which incite hatred are also a big problem.
“We fully respect the conclusions of the study. There are great lessons to be learned from this, as well as to other bodies involved in the organization of the final at Wembley.
The English national team will play one match in a closed stadium due to uncontrollable organizing duties, it is in a two-year condition for the next match. In addition, UEFA fined the association 100,000 euros (about 2.6 million crowns).
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