Full strength beer at England vs Serbia AXED and replaced by low alcohol shandy amid threat of boozed-up ultras violence
ENGLAND fans are banned from drinking strong lager at the Three Lions’ first Euros game — and will be offered German shandy instead.
Security bosses have made the move amid fears Serbian yobs are planning to face off with tipsy England supporters.
It comes after security risk ratings were ramped up from “high” to “very high” for Sunday’s clash with Serbia amid fears 500 hardcore pro-Putin yobs will be there.
A crackdown has forced officials to reduce the strength of beer in Gelsenkirchen’s 62,000-seat Veltins Arena for the crucial opening group game.
England fans had been looking forward to downing the 4.8 per cent strength Bitburger Premium in stadium bars. But the brew will now be replaced by a much weaker alternative.
The clash with Serbia is the only group game where fans will be served a maximum of two pints at a time of a 2.5 per cent “Radler-style” beer — half lager and half citrus soda.
It was unclear which low-strength Bitburger version would be on offer as the German firm has a 2.5 per cent “Radler” lemonade shandy and a 2.8 per cent Bitburger Light.
Concerns have risen after German police intelligence warned organised gangs of Serb thugs are converging on the game and could clash with boozy English followers.
Worries were amplified by a UEFA ban on segregation in the stadium — putting rival supporters next to each other in mixed seating.
Gelsenkirchen police spokesman Stephan Knipp told The Sun: “It is just the England game which will have the low-strength beer. The other games at the stadium will have 4.8 per cent.”
England fans will also find themselves subjected to a last-minute booze ban in the city centre before the kick-off at 8pm UK time.
Mr Knipp added: “Fans are not allowed to drink alcohol in the city’s main square, Heinrich-Konig-Platz.
“An England fan with a can or bottle of beer in the square will be asked to put it away, or it will be taken away. They will not immediately be arrested.
“The square will be a fan zone for other games in the city, but not for England. Fans can however drink alcohol in the city’s bars and in a fan zone for England fans at the racecourse.”
Another police source said: “The stadium beer will be the same per cent as a Radler made with sparkling lemonade, which you English call shandy. Authorities are trying to reduce risk.”
England’s last Euros opener abroad was in 2016, when highly organised Russian yobs — believed to be state sponsored — put scores of Three Lions fans in hospital in Marseille, France.
An estimated 40,000 England fans are expected to travel to Sunday’s game, along with 8,000 Serbs, plus more from Serbian communities in Germany.
Are the Serbs the most notorious football fans?
FROM pitch raids to mass brawls and death threats, Serbian hooligans are known wreak havoc and create carnage during football games.
Die-hard groups of hooligans are intertwined with football in Serbia – and they are known for ruthlessly attacking players on the pitch and storming opposition stalls when the match turns against them.
Hooligan firms in the Balkan state have chilling names such as The Gravediggers, Head Hunters, Zulu Warriors, and the Red Devils.
And one of their most vicious leaders is known as “Ivan the Terrible”.
In 2012, Ivan – who has been linked to Serbian far-right paramilitaries – forced a Euros qualifying match between Serbia and Italy in Genoa to be abandoned after trying to attack rival fans and police.
He rallied supporters to lob live flares and bangers onto the pitch as players warmed up and ordered them to break down barriers separating them from Italian fans while taunting police.
Tracing their lineage back to the Balkan war of the 1990s, Serb football hooligans are renowned for their tough-as-nails attitude and love of violence.
They are known for throwing live bangers at players who have switched sides and invading the pitches when games don’t go their way.
In the past, the Ultras have killed rival fans – including a Toulouse supporter in 2009 who was beaten to death with iron bars and bicycle chains.
