‘More Inbetweeners than Green Street’: How police plan to deal with England fans at Euro 2024
Police are planning to send its biggest deployment of officers for the tournament in Germany this summer
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Your support makes all the difference.England fans who breach German public order laws at Euro 2024 this summer have been warned that they could be marched to a cashpoint on the spot and forced to pay a fine for which there is no maximum limit. That will include certain provocative chants related to history.
The messaging comes as German and English authorities seek to guide fans on how to have the best possible experience at Euro 2024 this summer, in what will be the most widely attended tournament since Euro 2016 in France. Police are expecting tens of thousands of British fans to travel.
That will ensure the biggest deployment of British police in that time, although there are no major concerns about trouble due to the demographics of the modern fanbase. The profile of the most frequent offenders is described as “more Inbetweeners rather than Green Street”.
Fans have simply been warned to use common sense, an example being when England played Germany in Munich in June 2022 in the Nations League.
German police are described as “reasonably tolerant” regarding football supporters due to a strong experience of hosting major games, and that will come with the understanding of British police being on hand if problems arise.
Fans without tickets have been meanwhile advised to stay away from stadiums, as Uefa are on “high alert” about the issue due to the problems at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.
Police did unsuccessfully argue that banning orders for fans should be on a case-by-case basis, as far-right activist Tommy Robinson had his four-year banning order lifted, leaving him free to attend Euro 2024.
The former leader of the English Defence League - whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon - was given the banning order in December 2020 after being filmed punching another England supporter at the Nations League Finals in Portugal in June 2019.
The Crown Prosecution Service CPS and the UK Football Policing Unit both opposed the lifting of the order, but it was ended with immediate effect from 8 December 2023 by Luton magistrates’ court.
There is still confidence Euro 2024 will go ahead smoothly, as German police played down concerns about trouble from potential political protests over the situation in Gaza and - separately - the threat of terror attacks.
Police pointed to how the latter was the major issue going into Euro 2016 in France but strong security reassured fans.
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