Euro 2020 Disorder Review: Collective Sea Change Essential To Avoid Any Repeat

Chaos at Wembley Stadium at Euro 2020 finals An FA review on the disorder at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium highlights a series of crowd 'near misses' which could have led to fatalities. The incidents at the showpiece final on July 11th were broadcast to the world and indicated a number of failings as stewards and police were overrun by ticketless England fans desperate to witness their first final for the national side since 1966.

The review by Baroness Casey of Blackstock finds behaviour of a large minority of England supporters was not just disgraceful, but recklessly endangered lives, and calls on the government to consider a new category for football matches of national significance among five recommendations.

Approximately 2,000 ticketless fans gained entry to the stadium, of which around 400 were ejected. With the review noting entry to the stadium was through 17 “mass breaches” of disabled access gates and emergency fire doors, which “jeopardised the lives of legitimate supporters and staff”. The review suggested a “collective failure” by organisations in the preparation for the stature of the match.

“We are genuinely lucky that there was not much more serious injury or worse, and need to take the toughest possible action against people who think a football match is somehow an excuse to behave like that,” said Baroness Casey. “I am clear that the primary responsibility for what went wrong at Wembley that day lies with those who lost control of their own behaviour that day, not with anyone who did their best but lost control of the crowd.”

Alcohol and drugs were clearly a key factor in the disorder as fans arrived at the stadium up to eight hours before the 8pm kick-off. The Metropolitan Police had said that 51 arrests were made connected to the final, with 26 of those made at Wembley. In all, there were 90 football-related arrests of England fans at Euro 2020.



Baroness Casey's report found the ongoing need to manage the Covid-19 pandemic and the euphoria around the men's national team reaching their first final since 1966 combined to create a “perfect storm”. It also highlighted a loss of experienced stewards as a result of the pandemic, which left Wembley's stewarding operation vulnerable, while the police and other agencies were denied a key crowd management tool with the absence of fan zones. The review found the Metropolitan Police made repeated requests to the government for such a zone to be set up.

As mentioned within Football & Stadium Management the difficulties due to the location of Wembley Stadium in such a built-up area further exacerbated the problems faced, with so many different entrances accessible.

The review added that, with the game going to penalties, a shootout victory by England could have resulted in a further huge public safety risk, the review identified, with up to 6,000 ticketless fans waiting to storm the stadium at the same time as doors were being opened to allow other fans to leave. An official from the London emergency services said the consequences of an England win would have been “horrific”, and that a major incident would have been declared at Wembley and in central London.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the organisation agreed with the proposals within the review. “We fully accept its findings and there are important learnings for us, as well as other agencies involved. The lessons learned from this review will ensure that fans have a good experience at major international events at Wembley, as they have for many years.” He added “no event is set up to deal with such disgraceful behaviour from thousands of ticketless fans”, but apologised “for the terrible experience that many suffered within Wembley on what should have been a historic night”.

England have been ordered to play one match behind closed doors and the FA fined 100,000 euros (£84,560) by European football governing body UEFA as punishment for the unrest. UK Sport has denied that England's possible bid to host the 2030 World Cup has been irrecoverably damaged by the disorder.

Baroness Casey made five recommendations for national consideration. The first called on the government to consider a new category for matches of national significance, with enhanced security measures and stricter measures around the sale and consumption of alcohol. It also called for a review of stewarding, and for who is accountable in 'Zone Ex', the area immediately around the stadium; empowering authorities with tougher penalties for individuals found guilty of football-related disorder and an FA campaign to bring about a “sea change” in attitudes among supporters. The need for a more joined-up approach between Wembley and the Metropolitan Police Service to managing public safety on match-days is among recommendations proposed to the FA, Wembley and key partners.

Euro 2020 Disorder Review: Collective Sea Change Essential To Avoid Any Repeat