Damn right, as anyone who has had problems with local chavvies knows the police are worse than useless. Give the feckers a good hard slapping. Not on CCTV though!
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I'm mainly surprised anyone could get in! I personally dont think Wales fans would have done the same but the security at Euro 16 seemed so tight i dont see how anyone could have even attempted it.
It was reported that entry was gained through forcing a way through disabled access gates, an exit gate "had been left open" (opened by mates inside??) plus some lads were giving their mates a piggyback through the turnstiles. One ticket, two entries. The latter would eliminate half our fans if they tried to force entry for a home match. The turnstiles are tight enough as it is.
https://www.theguardian.com/football...ds-his-actions
One of the organisers of the storming of Wembley by thousands of ticketless fans has defended the widely criticised breach, as more details emerged about the scale of the security lapse.
Pablo (not his real name), a 24-year-old from the Midlands, was one of the administrators of a Telegram chat group of hundreds of ticketless fans who shared tips about getting into Sunday’s final. Hours before the kickoff those who succeeded advised those still outside on where breaches had been made, he explained.
Speaking to the Guardian he gave details of how he and about 300 fans entered via a disabled entrance in block K, and he claimed others bribed stewards to get in. He estimated that at least 5,000 entered without a ticket.
A general view outside the stadium along Wembley Way before the Euro 2020 final between Italy and England at Wembley stadium.
Ticketless fans storm Wembley for Euro 2020 final – video timeline
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Pablo said he decided to join the so-called “Wembley jib” or entering without a ticket, after trying every day last week to get a legitimate ticket.
He said: “I just thought my Dad is 52 and he’s never seen England in a final at Wembley. And it might never happen again in my lifetime. There were 30,000 spare seats, and we didn’t sit in anyone’s seat.”
Pablo set up a Telegram chat of around 200 ticketless fans. He was also the member of separate chat group with 500 members called “the Wembley Jib”, and was aware of another two other groups including one with 800 members.
Pablo drove down from the Midlands with nine ticketless friends in two cars. All but one of them got in to see the game. He took £250 in cash to pay officials but did not need to use it.
Last week images of real tickets were shared on the chat group, which members used to forge in their own names. Pablo and his friends used such fake tickets to get past a first security check at about 5.15pm. He then regularly checked the Telegram chat for updates on where security had been breached.
Members on the chat claim they had got in by bribing stewards for as little as £20. One member said he got in after paying a steward £120. In an audio message on the chat heard by the Guardian, the man explained how the steward had told him to “put the money in my pocket as I’m patting you down”. The man said: “It was probably more than he earned on that shift. Money talks.”
Pablo said: “A lot of stewards seemed more than willing to help. We offered one £200 to let five of us in. At about quarter to seven, we were waiting for the steward’s mate to show up and that’s when we saw a disabled door open so we just ran through.”
“Every time a disabled entrance was opened there must have been 300 people who got in. And it seemed that every 10 minutes one got yanked open. And that doesn’t count the people who bribed stewards or went behind someone in the turnstiles. I would be shocked if there was less than 5,000 got in without a ticket.”
He added: “When we got in everyone was chanting ‘jib, jib, jib’ up the escalators. We found five empty seats. A family came and one of us was sat in their seat, and they seemed a bit moody, but we just moved along one and no one else came.”
In reference to video showing fans attacking ticketless fans who breached security, Pablo said: “We didn’t harm anyone. The people causing the trouble were the ones fighting ticketless fans.”
Asked how Wembley could stop similar breaches Pablo said: “If there were four of five police officers behind each disabled entrance, that would deter people. Stewards aren’t enough to put you off. But Wembley probably won’t be jibbed on that scale again unless we get the World Cup in 2030.”
An FA spokesperson said a full investigation will take place, in collaboration with police. “The security and stewarding numbers for the final exceeded the requirements for the match and were greater than any other previous event at Wembley stadium,” the spokesperson added.
Another Hillsborough avoided more by luck than anything else:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-57829412
If I was a terror cell in the UK I'd be looking at this as a brilliant opportunity. I'm surprised at how easy it seems for these groups of ticketless fans to get in.
I'm more concerned with how Tom Cruise got in - rushed over from the Wimbledon final and taking up the space of a real football fan.
Met warned the FA many ticketless fans were on their way. FA claim it was areas controlled by the police where the trouble was....nothing to do with us guv. Police say their action prevented the match from being called off. One day it will be us v Jacks at Wembley. That could prove a challenge to police.
Just heard this guy saying it on TS, I find it amazing that big groups can get so close to the turnstiles. I thought you were vetted as having a ticket by security/police before you get near the actual gates in…..
Also heard that UEFA are supposed to provide security at such events, how true this is I don’t know….
Bribed or rushed security to get passed. Hence pictures of barriers being thrown around and knocked over. Don't think it's UEFA that provide security. FA/Wembley sort out the stewards, largely inside and immediately outside. Met and British Transport police have responsibility for overseeing transport/stadium approaches/Wembley's pubs and general fan safety. Hence FA blaming police for the fans getting in, police say it's FA responsibility.
Update. Article in today's Times went into great detail about what happened at Wembley. UEFA reckon some 5,000 ticketless fans got in. Yes, a terrorist opportunity. Yes, stewards taking wads of cash to not only let people passed the initial (and subsequently overwhelmed) Covid checks but to open gates to let fans in. Very lucky no-one died as there were injuries both accidental and deliberate. The article made grim reading. Start saving for the World Cup in South America in 2030. UEFA are going to take a very dim view of this.
And it wasn't just the drink. Open use of cocaine inside the stadium alarmed "normal" fans whose young children had to witness England fans off their heads. Not a good look at all. IMHO Wembly is just too built up now to make policing outside the stadium effective.