Football News Update: Euro 2024, Champions League, and FIFA World Cup Highlights
In the lead-up to the highly anticipated Euro 2024 tournament, England’s opening match against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday has been deemed a high-risk encounter. Local police have expressed concerns about the potential for violence, leading to restrictions on fans’ alcohol consumption at the stadium.
“It is not something I would have a viewpoint on because obviously that is down to the police and UEFA,” said Mark Bullingham, the FA chief executive. “It is as much to do with the stadium and the vicinity as anything else. But that’s their call.”
Bullingham remained optimistic about the behavior of England’s fans, stating, “I would say that our fans [at the Germany World Cup] in 2006 were the fans of the tournament and over the last few years we’ve shown our fans have been great supporters of the team and behaved well.”
Regarding the increased number of fans expected to attend the Euros, Bullingham said, “There will be a lot of fans, and a lot of fans who haven’t travelled before because the last couple of tournaments away, we’ve had less than 5,000 fans, so it is a different dynamic. But our fans have been really good in the last couple of years, brilliant support for us and we hope that continues.”
The FA chief executive emphasized the importance of fans supporting the team in the right way, stating, “The best thing that the fans can do to help us do well in this tournament is be a tribute to their country… the German police have proved they are really good at policing football tournaments, so there’s no reason why that shouldn’t be the case again. But really the main message is, ‘get behind the team and support in the right way’.”
In a separate development, the FA has announced a contribution of at least £25,000 to help the UK Football Policing Unit investigate and prosecute online trolls who racially abuse England’s players during the Euros. This comes after the abhorrent incidents targeting Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, and Jadon Sancho following the Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy.
“What we don’t want to do is create an [evidence] pack that we give to the police and then they don’t have the resource to take that forward,” Bullingham said. “So, we’re funding the police to make sure if there are instances of some of the vile abuse we’ve seen before, that it gets prosecuted.”
As the football world eagerly awaits the start of the Euro 2024 tournament, the FA’s commitment to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for England’s fans and players alike is of paramount importance. With the Champions League and FIFA World Cup also on the horizon, the global football community will be keeping a close eye on these developments.
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