UK Football Policing Unit reflects on Euro 2024

A team of officers from across the UK have been in Germany since the start of the Championships to support the local police in delivering a safe tournament.

In total it is estimated there were around 240,000 visitor trips to Germany from the UK, with the vast majority behaving well and representing the country in a positive light.

The high majority of those who travelled had tickets for matches, and England fans filled at least half of the stadium capacity at each venue the team has played.

There were a total of 77 England supporters arrested in Germany, and UK courts have served 13 notices for Football Banning Orders for offences. Eight of these have now been issued and a further five people have been bailed and will return to court at a later date. Further work is ongoing to identify and consider action against a small number of supporters who have committed offences overseas.

Mick Johnson, director of the UK Football Policing Unit, said:

“Whilst the England team ultimately had a disappointing result in the final, the overall reflections are of a very positive tournament for our travelling fans.

“The vast majority of supporters were well behaved, and it was fantastic to see people enjoying both the football and everything else that Germany has to offer.

“As with any event of this kind there were instances of disorder, and these were swiftly dealt with by the German police with the support of UK officers. There has also been positive action from the CPS and the courts when fans involved in disorder have returned to the UK.”

Throughout the tournament there were numerous cases of England fans attempting to enter stadiums without a ticket, as well as a number of examples of fans, family members and officials being soaked by alcohol during matches. Mr Johnson added:

“We are seeing more instances of people trying to gain entry to matches without tickets, and also an increase in the use of drugs in recent years. These are areas we are looking at more closely to try and prevent them continuing to happen in future.

“The issue we have seen with alcohol and containers being thrown reiterates our stance that drinking in the stands shouldn’t be allowed at matches in the UK. Currently fans can enjoy a drink before the game and, if they wish, at half time in the concourse, which is a sensible balance for everyone.

“The overall good behaviour of fans abroad has also been reflected at home. As expected, we did have a busy night across the country for the final, but on the whole we have seen a reduction in the number of football related incidents across the UK in comparison to the last few international tournaments.”