Euro 2016: England fans accused of making seven-year-old boy drink beer in exchange for money
The incident was witnessed in the city of Lille where fans have gathered ahead of England vs Wales in Lens
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.England fans have been accused of making a seven-year-old boy drink “a whole beer in exchange for some coins” in the French town of Lille ahead of Thursday’s Euro 2016 match against Wales.
The incident was witnessed by Michael Stothard, the Paris correspondent for the Financial Times, who claimed that a group of England fans would only give the young boy some money if he downed a beer in front of them.
Mr Stothard posted a picture on his Twitter account showing the boy, who could not be identified, and included the caption: “England fans in Lille just got begging 7 year old to down a whole beer in exchange for some coins. #EURO2016.”
Mr Stothard’s tweet attracted mass attention on Twitter, and in replying to one user who asked if he had personally seen the incident, he said: “I saw it, yes. He downed the bottle in five gulps to raucous cheers. Then was handed money. They gave him a cigarette too.
“But he threw the cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. The fans looked disappointed.”
The incident comes a day after British football fans were accused of “taunting begging children” in Lille by throwing money on the floor and making them pick it up.
Video footage showed fans drinking outside a restaurant in the northern French city next to a group of children, with coins being seen and heard landing on the ground.
One eye witness told The Telegraph: "There were eight or nine English who were laughing and joking at these poor youngsters - pretending to give them money and then throwing coins at them.
"These kids must have been no more than eight or nine. It was pretty bad taste."
It has not been confirmed if the fans are English or not.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments