I fled in horror as merciless hooligans stormed Wembley Stadium like ‘zombies’ & hurled glass at my terrified daughter
ENGLAND‘s outing in the Euro 2020 final was a day that went down in sporting history – but for many, it was for all the wrong reasons.
Instead of the nail-biting match – where England lost in a 3-2 penalty shootout to Italy – it was the anarchy and carnage that unfolded at Wembley Stadium that remains in the minds of many.
It followed more than 2,000 ticketless fans storming the ground and thousands more outside – many of whom were drunk and drugged up – causing danger and destruction.
Footage from the day, July 11, showed people with injuries from fights and glass bottles being wantonly lobbed into the air, as well as broken traffic lights, lamposts and trees.
Baroness Louise Casey’s review into violence at the 2021 final found a “series of near misses” could have led to “significant injuries or even death” and that Wembley’s security had been breached 17 times.
Now the Netflix documentary The Final: Attack On Wembley, which airs on May 8, reveals the “carnage and chaos” that unfolded on the day that was compared to “a warzone”.
The terrifying scenes, which resulted in 19 police officers suffering injuries and 86 arrests, left many fearing for their safety as they tried to navigate through the inebriated masses.
Among them was Gianluca Santoro, an Italian who lives in South London, who was forced to shield his daughter Maya, then 10, from projectiles lobbed at them by England fans.
The tennis coach, 51, told The Sun: “I remember walking towards the stadium and the floor was full of broken glass. It was like a bomb had gone off.
“I had to stop bottles and cans hitting us with my hands, which was painful, and some were open so the beer was spraying all over us.
“I was really scared for my daughter’s safety because the bottles were flying at us from all over the place and people were yelling abuse and swearing at me right to my face.
“We found a group of Italians and we all surrounded Maya to create a protective barrier. I took off my rucksack to cover her face and they put jackets and hoodies around her.
“I felt silly, naive and guilty that I took her but I imagined a different atmosphere, I thought people would be happy to be at Wembley and in the final. I wasn’t expecting so much abuse.”
‘Like a warzone’
On the day of the final, there were 67,000 ticketed fans but more than 6,000 others showed up at Wembley Stadium – some arriving as early as 8am, 12 hours before kick-off, to bask in England’s glory.
But soon, amid drunkenness and reported cocaine use, “scenes of carnage and chaos” unfolded according to Chris Whyte, Director of Operations at Brent Council.
He told the documentary that drinking levels were “very, very high” early on and “bad behaviour… had taken hold” due to a low police presence and security and stewards being vastly outnumbered.
Metropolitan Police, who later apologised for the “unacceptable scenes of disorder”, had sent the majority of officers to Central London, where previous antisocial behaviour had taken place.
The force’s main deployment was due to arrive at Wembley by 3pm – five hours before kick-off – but were called in early due to the danger presented by fans.
It was a scene of devastation. There were broken traffic lights, lamposts, trees. It was just like a bomb had gone off and there was debris everywhere.
Carolyn Downs, then Chief Executive of Brent Council
Social media footage from the day showed some fans climbing onto traffic lights, lamposts and a bus, others lit flares and several scuffles broke out.
“Bottles and cans are sort of crashing down all around, full bottles of beer, empty bottles…” Whyte recalled.
“People [were] clearly unaware of and uncaring about where these bottles might land and what damage they might cause…
“I’ve got very vivid memories of seeing glass injuries, there was blood and bandages… it did resemble a bit of a warzone.”
Carolyn Downs, Chief Executive at Brent Council, added: “[It] was a scene of devastation. There were broken traffic lights, lamposts, trees. It was just like a bomb had gone off and there was debris everywhere.”
Onlookers described how security and stewards “didn’t really have a chance” of clamping down on the dangerous behaviour due to the sheer number of people around the stadium.
Shameless invaders
To prevent ticketless fans getting in, a security perimeter around the stadium had been set up but it didn’t prove enough.
Chris Bryant, Director of Tournaments and Events at The FA, says many of the “thugs” were “putting their own and others’ lives in danger” during their attempts to break in.
Among them was England fan Dan, who joined a mob that stampeded their way through security and managed to bypass the turnstiles by hiding behind a ticketed fan.
Despite the damage caused and the risk to life, the Manchester United fan, from Shropshire, told the documentary: “I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done.”
He had taken “what I earn in a month” – around £2,000 – hoping to buy a ticket from a fan, believing “it would be difficult for them to say no” to such a large sum.
But when Dan’s offer “fell on deaf ears” and he realised he could end up “not even having anywhere to watch it at all,” he made a drastic decision.
We’ve never locked down the turnstiles there’s never been a need to… but I’ve just witnessed something I’ve never seen before.
Liam Boylan, Director of Wembley Stadium
Having spotted that Wayne Rooney had entered without having to battle through the crowds, he started to scope out the ground for weak spots.
Dan noticed a large crowd gathered at the Spanish Steps and after hearing them yell “Are we ready? Are we ready?” joined the masses who forced their way through security guards and barriers.
Liam Boylan, Director of Wembley Stadium, who was watching from the control room, described seeing the crowd “punch their way through” as “antisocial, reckless behaviour turned to violence”.
Recalling a steward was knocked down to the ground, he said: “It catches your breath when you’re watching that… [and] thinking, ‘What the hell is going on.’”
Dan, who had to do a “roly-poly over the bodies” on the ground, added: “I wasn’t really aware of what was going on around me, violence-wise.
“I was so focused on my own little mission, that’s all it was for me, it was just complete desperation to not miss this event.”
Later, Dan managed to bypass stewards for a second time by jigging – where someone walks closely behind a ticketed fan to squeeze through a turnstile without paying.
Euro 2020 final: a timeline of the chaotic events
8.00AM – Fans begin to arrive at Wembley, 12 hours before kick off. Some head to pubs, others surround the stadium. Many do not have tickets.
10.00AM – One London Underground official claims to have “never seen drunkenness like this so early on in the day”. Stewards and security staff report high levels of drug use.
11.30AM – Met Police Service (MPS) Silver Commander requests officers are sent to the stadium earlier than their deployment time. One officer has been punched in the face. Crowds gather at the Olympic steps, near Olympic Way.
12.00PM – Fans climb onto the roof of a bus on Fulton Road, near the stadium. It’s considered the first “red flag” for those on the ground. Officers, requested at 11.30am, arrive and rescue the stranded bus.
1.00PM – Flares are set off, fans climb traffic lights, lamposts and trees, and bottles are “getting chucked into the air”. Half an hour later British Transport Police deploys officers from Central London.
2.30PM – 175 Met Police Service officers are deployed. Fireworks, smoke bombs and glass bottles are being thrown on Olympic Way.
3.00PM – Volunteers and council workers are withdrawn for their safety. An additional, 50 public order officers and 100 specialist officers from the MPS Territorial Support Group arrive.
4.00PM – Police stop barriers being kicked down at Bobby Moore Bridge, near Olympic Way. Police advise ticketless fans not to travel to Wembley. Every 15minutes, an extra 3,000 fans arrive at Wembley Park Underground Station.
4.30PM – The Outer Security Perimeter (OSP) entrances open. Police fear swathes of unticketed fans “will try to push onto the concourse”. It’s feared the OSP fence will not hold.
5.00PM – Doors and gates are open. Within minutes a first person has been detained for ‘jigging’ – closely following behind a ticketed fan to gain entry – at Gate A.
5.30PM – One group has breached the Spanish steps. The Safety Officer has locked all turnstiles. “Loutish” behaviour and “hand-to-hand combat” with “groups of 40-50 men at a time” occurs. MPS sends more reserves to Wembley, making a total of 553 officers.
5.45PM – Violence erupts outside a Co-op on Olympic Way. One police officer is attacked. The crowd fails to smash the shop’s windows. Soon, turnstiles are unlocked due to concerns over crowd density.
6.30PM – A fence line has been knocked down, allowing crowds to breach Club Wembley’s outer security perimeter. Police and stewards battle to stop a group entering through a disabled pass gate at Gate M. Several more gate invasions follow including 90 people storming an emergency fire door. Police are deployed to all turnstiles.
7.30PM – Crowds attempt to breach more gates. During one, multiple fans are trampled amid a stampede of 100 unticketed fans. Police are dispatched to the bottom of the Olympic Steps when a fence collapses.
7.55PM – A large group charges at the Olympic Steps Outer Security Perimeter as England’s national anthem plays. Police wield batons and ‘fast walk’ to force them back. By 8.02pm, when Luke Shaw scores for England, crowds charge an outer gate near the South West Ramp.
9.15PM – Urgent repairs have been called for on emergency exit doors at Turnstile G due to breaches.
10.00PM – Fans continue to look for points where they can break in as extra time begins.
10.50PM – Fire doors at Gate G are breached for a third time – around 30 people enter. Two minutes later, exit doors are opened for fans to leave the stadium. By 10.54pm, Italy has beaten England on penalties. Fans outside the stadium start to leave the area.
12.30AM – Portable toilets have been pushed over on Olympic Way. Railway officials report having protected Italian fans. The beginning of a five-day clean-up operation begins, as 31 tonnes of rubbish – 10 times the normal amount – is removed.
‘Massive crush’
Near the Club Wembley entrance, groups of ‘30 to 40 people’ were collectively barging into metal railings and tipping them over in a bid to get closer to the stadium.
Former rugby union star Ugo Monye, who observed the chaos, recalled: “There was an avalanche of people coming through.”
He said observers were “terrified” and had to shield themselves from projectiles, adding: “The chaos and carnage was happening all around us.”
Meanwhile, Bryant and his colleagues reconstructed the metal barriers only for others to be knocked down further away.
He said: “It did feel like whack-a-mole for the best part of 45 minutes.”
Amid the chaos, Boylan says the decision was made to “lock down the turnstiles” – preventing fans with tickets, as well as those without, from entering the ground.
I’ve never seen anything of that sort in my life. This horde of zombies come running in, falling over, people trampling over them. It was madness.
Taz, Wembley Security Guard
He said: “We’ve never locked down the turnstiles, there’s never been a need to… but I’ve just witnessed something I’ve never seen before.”
Security guard Taz says he knew “something bad must have happened” for them to take such drastic action and while waiting for the turnstiles to reopen received a barrage of abuse.
He recalled being told: “When I get in I’m going to f*** you up,” along with racist abuse.
Soon after, the turnstiles were reopened for “the safety of the majority” after concerns there could be a “massive crush”.
Downs, who was at the south side of the stadium, said: “It felt really scary. This could really end up being quite serious. I just kept thinking, ‘Please don’t let anyone get hurt.’”
After the turnstiles opened, more ticketless fans began forcing their way in. Some broke in through fire escape doors, which had been deliberately opened from the inside, and others forced their way through gates.
Security guard Taz said: “I’ve never seen anything of that sort in my life. This horde of zombies come running in, falling over, people trampling over them. It was madness.
“If I had thrown myself in front of all those people I probably would not be sitting here today.”
While Taz focused on trying to close the fire escape doors, ticketed and unticketed fans clashed.
Boylan added: “There was a conflict between those people that have got in legitimately and those people that have got in illegally… there are scuffles, fights and all sorts of stuff breaking out.”
Social media footage revealed brutal scenes including one fan being kicked multiple times in the face and several others being punched.
Seat thief laughed
Having an extra 2,000 people illegally in the stadium meant many fans, some of whom had paid thousands to watch the game, struggled to get to their seats.
Kevin, from East London, who forked out £1,000 for two tickets, recalled being laughed at after confronting someone who had nicked his seat.
You look at what could happen if England win and the safest outcome is England losing.
Liam Boylan
“He turned to his mate and goes, ‘Oi, these two paid for their tickets!’ and he started laughing,” Kevin said.
“He and his friend described how they had a minibus of 10 or 12 of them who had come down with the intention of breaking in and they all managed to.”
Shortly before kick off, the turnstiles were locked down again and police dressed in riot gear lifted their batons and “walked with purpose” at revellers outside the stadium.
They created a perimeter around Wembley, which prevented further ground invasions but didn’t help to disperse the crowds, as hoped.
For Boylan, his focus was on the 67,000 fans inside the stadium and he admits hoping that England would lose in order to keep fans safe.
He feared more of the unruly mob outside would try to break in, especially when exit doors opened before the end of the match.
Recalling his fear, he said: “I’ve got this blue line with 6,000 people out there, if they see that doors are opening and then they hear the roar going up because England have won, are they coming inside?
“This lot are not England fans, this lot are not football fans, I don’t know what they are. They’re just a bunch of people that are going to punch their way through.
“You look at what could happen if England win and the safest outcome is England losing.”
Boylan admits he was overwhelmed with “relief” after England lost 3-2 on penalties and those outside the stadium finally started to walk away from the ground.
‘Perfect storm’
Reflecting on the day, he said: “I never ever want to go through what I faced on that day again… I’m not still fully over it because it hurt, it really, really hurt. We saw things that we’d never ever seen before.”
Baroness Casey’s review would later conclude there was “a perfect storm of lawlessness” on the day of the final – caused in part by it being a major event after coronavirus lockdown restrictions had been relaxed.
It praised the bravery of stewards and police officers as well as staff from Brent Council, the FA and Wembley in what was described as “extraordinary aggression”.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “No event is set up to deal with such disgraceful behaviour from thousands of ticketless fans. Collectively we must never allow this to happen again.”
Some of the ticketless fans were prosecuted. But it’s likely many do not regret their actions – including Dan.
He told the doc: “I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done. In 2020, we were all locked away in our homes couldn’t go anywhere, could only go outside for a little bit of exercise and the whole time we’re doing that, the leaders of our country were partying.
“How can I feel like I’ve done something wrong? To witness England [potentially] winning their first trophy since 1966, I wasn’t missing that for nobody.”
As for Gianluca, while the finals were far from the day he envisaged with his daughter, he says it made her appreciate her Italian heritage more.
He says: “I often think they did me a favour. Maya, whenever she talks about something related to Italy, she says, ‘But daddy, we Italians, us Italians’. For me it was more than football.”
The Final: Attack On Wembley, which was filmed by Rogan Productions, is available to watch on Netflix from May 8.