London: London Metropolitan’s riot police came down to London’s West End after thousands of football fans roamed on the streets post England’s loss against Italy in the Euro 2020 final.
Scores of officers wearing riot gear and clutching shields were making their way through the streets of central London when large crowds attempted to push into the fan zone at Trafalgar Square without tickets. The fans dispersed quickly, though, as rain arrived in the city.
The riot police were also seen at Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square in London after football supporters were climbing over street lamps, over the roofs of buses and setting off fire in front of hundreds of fans following England’s defeat. The chaotic scenes came after England lost the Euro 2020 final on penalties 2-3 to Italy, extending the wait for a major trophy after the 1966 World Cup.
The Metropolitan Police posted on Twitter, “Our policing operation for the #Euro2020 final is drawing to a close. Thank you to the tens of thousands of fans who had good spirits and behaved responsibly. We made 49 arrests during the day for a variety of offences. We will have officers on hand throughout the night.”
Another tweet by the Metropolitan Police further said, “Frustratingly, 19 of our officers were injured while they confronted volatile crowds. This is wholly unacceptable. A big thanks to officers across London and our blue light colleagues for their part in keeping Londoner’s safe and moving tonight. #Euro2020.”
Ahead of the game there were chaotic scenes at Wembley Stadium, with footage showing dozens of fans trying to force their way past barriers to get into the stadium.
In a statement which came later on, a stadium spokesperson said: “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.”