Fans BREAK IN to Wembley amid chaotic scenes as stewards chase them just minutes before England-Italy is to kick off
- Football fans stormed through the security barriers at the Wembley Stadium
- Fans allegedly broke through security cordon before being chased by stewards
- Comes as an estimated 35 million people tune in to watch the Euro final tonight
A group of football fans have stormed through the security barriers at Wembley and broken into the stadium just moments ahead of England’s nail-biting match against Italy tonight.
The fans, who allegedly broke through the security cordon, were filmed running into the Club Wembley entrance as stewards and riot police desperately tried to chase after them.
The scenes come as an estimated 35 million people tune in to watch the once-in-a-generation clash on TV while 60,000 spectators cheer on Gareth Southgate’s men later today.
It is unclear if the group of supporters had tickets for the final.
Earlier today, England fans were sent into a frenzy as they clambered onto buses outside Wembley, packed out pubs and set off flares in King’s Cross and Leicester Square before the Three Lions fight Italy for the Euro 2020 Championship.
In Piccadilly Circus, one fan was spotted leaping from the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain into a crowd of excited supporters and outside the Wembley Stadium others were spotted climbing onto traffic lights and poles.
Meanwhile drunken supporters thronged other parts of the capital, gathering en masse in Leicester Square and at several major railway stations, to revel in one of Britain’s biggest sporting occasions in decades.
But there were chaotic scenes there too, with British Transport Police – which patrols the country’s rail network – reporting ‘multiple cases’ of flares being set off inside London stations.
‘We’re working with train operators to ensure the continuation of services & to ensure everyone can travel safely,’ the force said, adding: ‘these incidents are offences & will be investigated’.
As the chaos ensued, London’s Metropolitan Police and Mayor Sadiq Khan were forced to take to Twitter to urge fans not to travel to Wembley without match tickets, with the force noting officers were ‘on hand engaging with crowds and to keep people safe’.
More to follow