A newly released independent review into the chaotic scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium paints a stark and alarming picture. The report reveals that the events of that day came perilously close to causing fatalities and widespread injuries, highlighting significant failures in planning and preparedness by authorities despite prior warnings.
Commissioned by the Football Association and led by Louise Casey, the review meticulously examines the events of July 11th. On this day, tens of thousands of ticketless individuals attempted to forcefully enter the national stadium to witness the highly anticipated Euro Foot 2020 final match between England and Italy. Simultaneously, scenes of widespread disorder and anarchy unfolded along Olympic Way, the main approach to Wembley. The review unequivocally labels the day’s occurrences as a “national shame.”
[Wembley faced ‘unprecedented’ public disorder at Euro final, says FA
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Lady Casey stated, “I am clear that the primary responsibility for what went wrong at Wembley that day lies with those who lost control of their own behaviour that day, not with anyone who did their best but lost control of the crowd. Nevertheless there are always lessons to be learned. No one was fully prepared for what happened that day and it can’t be allowed to happen again.”
The comprehensive report, which includes several recommendations aimed at mitigating future risks, unveils details of the day that are far more disturbing than initially understood. It reveals that over 2,000 individuals successfully breached security and gained unauthorized entry to Wembley Stadium. This was achieved through 17 significant security breaches, including a deliberate and systematic exploitation of entrances intended for disabled fans. Furthermore, the report discloses for the first time the presence of a 6,000-strong crowd that remained outside Wembley throughout the final match. This group was poised to storm the gates in the event of an England victory, a prospect described by a crowd safety expert as “frightening” with easily imaginable dire consequences should they have collided with departing legitimate fans.
The review details how crowds began congregating along Olympic Way as early as 9 am, with widespread and conspicuous consumption of alcohol and cocaine observed by onlookers. The authorities, the report argues, had not anticipated the scale of these numbers. This unexpected influx was compounded by a separate, coordinated effort by individuals determined to force their way into Wembley without tickets for the euro foot 2020 event.
The report pinpoints 5:25 pm as the start of the Wembley invasion, marked by a charge of approximately 100 men against an outer security perimeter at the Spanish Steps, the primary access point to the stadium. Wembley officials described this initial breach as an unexpected “bang” that “came from left field.” Police officers and stewards were immediately subjected to a barrage of punches. By 6:30 pm, the security operation, which included 553 police officers at the stadium, was described as being “under intense pressure.”
During this period of escalating chaos, numerous “near misses” occurred where lives were genuinely at risk. During the initial charge at the Spanish Steps, a young man was knocked down and trampled by the surging crowd. He narrowly escaped the crush but subsequently collapsed and suffered a seizure. Concurrently, at Gate G, a young woman was also knocked to the ground and trampled before being rescued by another supporter. At the same gate, a surge into the stadium forced a man carrying a small child to the floor until a steward intervened to pull them to safety.
In one particularly disturbing incident, a ticketless fan attempted to impersonate a steward and exploit a disabled child to gain entry. The individual attempted to separate a boy from his father, pretending to assist them. The father recounted, “Just as we got to the door we twigged what was going on and it turned out he’s just an England fan in a high-viz jacket that was literally hijacking a wheelchair to get into the stadium.”
Casey writes, “The prevailing view in the aftermath was that the scenes at Wembley had been ugly and disgraceful. Many of those present said … what they witnessed or experienced was more serious and, in some instances, extremely dangerous.” The report emphasizes that the level of disorder at the euro foot 2020 final surpassed initial assessments and posed significant risks to public safety.
Wembley officials reported that attempts to breach security were “constant for six hours,” persisting even after the euro foot 2020 match had commenced. As the game progressed, authorities began to anticipate a further surge in attempts to enter should England win. A police helicopter estimated the crowd size outside the stadium to be around 6,000. One FA official described this group as “zombie”-like, which heightened the sense of fear and unease among officials. “They were just standing there, not even watching the game on their phones,” the official noted, highlighting the unsettling determination of the crowd.
Ultimately, Italy won the euro foot 2020 final, and heavy rain began to fall, events that witnesses reported being profoundly thankful for. Casey characterizes the events as a “perfect storm” of unprecedented scale. She unequivocally states that planning for the event failed to account for anything beyond incremental increases in problems encountered at earlier matches in the tournament. This, combined with external factors such as the complexities introduced by Covid regulations, created an inherently unsustainable situation.
“Multiple stakeholders told the review that the frequency of matches meant a habit had formed of viewing these problems as discrete tactical issues to be fixed by practical measures rather than considering the wider strategic implications,” Casey explains. The report underscores a critical failure in strategic thinking and risk assessment leading up to the euro foot 2020 final.
Casey points out a significant lack of clarity regarding responsibility for controlling “Zone X,” effectively the Olympic Way area. This ambiguity, along with the land’s ownership structure, hampered the ability to implement effective security measures. The report criticizes the police for their lack of flexibility, noting that the main contingent of police officers only arrived on site at 3 pm, relatively late in the day considering the early build-up of crowds. The government also faces criticism for initially rejecting requests for additional fan zones, which could have helped to alleviate crowd pressures, and then subsequently insisting that the FA increase the restricted capacity of the final to 67,000 to prevent UEFA from moving the match to Budapest.
Despite acknowledging the “impossible” situation faced by stadium officials, the FA’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, issued an apology for the distressing experiences endured by tens of thousands of individuals.
“I am truly sorry for the terrible experiences that many of you suffered,” he stated. “A day that should have been so special became horrible for many at the moment they arrived on Olympic Way. That hurts us deeply.”
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“We fully accept the findings and recommendations of the review, in particular the main one: that we, the police and all of the agencies involved should have looked at the planning for the event through a different lens. Rather than planning for the biggest ever football match at the modern Wembley as we did, collectively we should have viewed the event as one of national significance.”
Bullingham believes “no stadium would have coped with that pressure from such an aggressive crowd trying to get in” and added, “We didn’t get everything right but given the circumstances many of our team performed incredibly well under extraordinary pressure. Without them and their actions, as the review makes clear, the situation could have been much worse. I sincerely thank them.” The report concludes by emphasizing the urgent need for comprehensive changes in planning and security protocols for major sporting events, particularly those of national significance like the euro foot 2020 final, to prevent a recurrence of the near-catastrophic events at Wembley.
