Fans hit out at Wembley security: ‘Nothing has changed since the Euros’

Some tickets were still not being checked, insists supporter Lack of police outside the stadium is strongly criticised

As another inquest is launched into violent hooliganism at an England game at Wembley, one thing is already clear: too few lessons have been learnt from the summer.

The Football Association faces punishment next week over its failure to keep fans, as well as families of England players, safe when ticketless thugs stormed the European Championship final. On that occasion, the threat emerged from English hooligans determined to force their way into the nation’s biggest match for 55 years.

But on Tuesday night the threat was far more obvious. A 700-strong away section of Hungary supporters and, as revealed by The Daily Telegraph, Polish hooligans, always had the potential to erupt into violence.

So when boos rang out as the England players took the knee in their customary anti-racism gesture, with a banner held up among away fans protesting, and a steward was racially abused, sparking running battles between baton-wielding police and black-clad thugs, major questions were inevitably raised.

On the face of things, some lessons had been taken on board since the disgraceful events of July 11. The Metropolitan Police claimed to have increased their presence around Wembley for the visit of Hungary, while the response from officers when trouble flared soon after kickoff was swift. But that is where the positives end. One England fan told Talksport he had seen black supporters abused and intimidated by Hungarian followers during the walk-up to Wembley ahead of the World Cup qualifier.

Another fan, Simon Harris, an England Supporters Travel Club member for almost two decades who attended the game, saw little to encourage him that much had changed since the summer.

Asked if he thought security had been beefed up at Wembley, Harris said: “I didn’t notice any difference whatsoever. It’s got to be a bit concerning. A few fans in front of me were frisked, but I wasn’t and not everybody who was going in and out of their block was having their ticket checked.”

Harris claimed to have seen fans “sneaking beers” into their seats and drinking in front of him at the qualifier against Andorra at Wembley last month, and to have witnessed fighting between England fans on Tuesday night. “You don’t really want that if you’ve got youngsters with you,” he said. “I don’t think a great deal has changed.”

With the away section filling up with hooligans from Hungary and Poland on Tuesday, and no way of telling if they had a record of thuggish behaviour at matches, there was little to stop trouble erupting.

The FA was heavily criticised in the summer for relying on security staff who lacked the adequate training to handle serious incidents, and it appeared to be the same story.

On this occasion, police were quick to respond, entering the stands to arrest the supporter susfor pected of racist abuse. But those officers struggled to control a group of Hungarian and Polish fans who viciously attacked them.

Batons were used by police but the numbers game quickly caught up with them and they were forced into retreat by a much larger pack of thugs intent on fighting, forcing the officers onto the concourse. The Met confirmed that six people were arrested following the flashpoints, but several more could be seen throwing punches and kicks as the chaos unfolded – all while the players on the pitch carried on, oblivious to what was unfolding in Block 126.

Though police were able to react in good time, their presence was hardly reassuring. Officers were hard to spot as Wembley filled up, and when they did appear in force before beating a hasty retreat, they quickly became invisible again. With the aisles blocked and most fans concentrated on the front few rows, the vast majority of whom refused to sit down, memories of the Euro 2020 final quickly returned.

The chaos may not have been on the same scale, but with a potential stadium ban hanging over the FA, it was the last thing it needed. Matters were not helped when a flare was let off as Hungary took the lead in the first quarter of the match, and when England fans celebrated John Stones’s equaliser, away supporters were quick to rush towards the barrier as rival fans traded insults.

Another source complained of a lack of police outside Wembley around an hour after the final whistle on Tuesday, claiming he had witnessed drug-dealing and drunk and disorderly behaviour on the way back to Wembley Park Tube station.

With Uefa to deliver its verdict on the Euro 2020 final at the start of next week and Fifa already investigating Tuesday’s scenes, the FA will have little time to put measures in place to prevent further trouble when Albania visit next month.

Its long-anticipated 2030 World Cup bid can ill afford another night of shame.