England vs Serbia – Fans clash in bar fight as chairs thrown & police intervene
Police in Germany have stepped in ahead of England’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia on Sunday evening after a clash between rival fans occurred in Gelsenkirchen, with Albania fans also on the scene after their opening game in nearby Dortmund
Violent clashes erupted between England and Serbian fans five hours before kick off on Sunday.
Bottles, chairs and tables were hurled into the air by rival groups outside a bar in Gelsenkirchen, where dozens of Serbs were drinking. Some of the thugs had their faces covered during the clashes.
One man, who is understood to be English, was left with blood pouring from a head wound and needed medical attention. Dozens of riot police were on the scene within moments, wielding batons as they arrested seven Serbs.
A German police spokesman said: “There was a confrontation between Serbian and English football fans in the city of Gelsenkirchen. The two fan groups were separated. Seven people were taken into custody. There was also a complaint of grievous bodily harm. The background to this is still unclear.”
A spokesman for the UK Football Policing Unit added: “We are aware of an issue in Gelsenkirchen ahead of the England v Serbia match. Our German colleagues have made a number of arrests of what we currently believe to be Serbian supporters. At this stage we do not believe that any UK nationals have been arrested but enquiries are ongoing.
“Our officers are at the location speaking to German colleagues. Our investigation team is now reviewing footage of the incident and, if any UK nationals have been involved, football banning orders will be sought.”
The trouble flared a few hundred yards from the city’s main square where earlier in the day English and Serb had mixed happily in the bars and cafes.
Hundreds of armed police rushed to Weberstrasse after a brawl saw tables and chairs thrown. I counted a total of 22 police vans in attendance as officers ran past me toward the station. England fans inside the Post Hornchun pub sang songs as the police ran by. One fan said: “It was nasty but small fight. But it ended up with a chase before the police finally calmed it.”
Elderly residents watched a bemusement from their flats as the fighting ensued. An English police source however said that the attack was started by England fans attacking Serbs, before they fought back. However, there were conflicting reports on how the trouble started, with suggestions that Albania supporters – in the area after Saturday night’s match in Dortmund against Italy – had sought to attack Serbian fans.
One fan from Birmingham got caught in the middleand blood was pouring from a head wound as he was led away by medics – but was refusing to give police his name.
One Englishman, who asked not to be identified, said a group of men in balaclavas ‘ran around the corner and started throwing bottles.’ He added: ‘I ran away and the next thing I saw was the tables being smashed and chairs being thrown’.
His friend, another Englishman living in Belgrade added: ‘It was premeditated. They threw bottles, I just ran off.’
A Gelsenkirchen police spokesman said: “We can confirm that there was a physical altercation between several people in the south of the city of Gelsenkirchen.
“The police are on site with sufficient personnel and have the situation under control. We cannot confirm at this point whether the altercation was football related or which nationalities were involved.”
A mother and son enjoying their regular Sunday routine of coffee and cake at the Café Pabot opposite the Hirt Steakhouse said they were sat on the first floor when ‘all of a sudden bits of food and bottles started being thrown.’
The son, Felix Wurmes, 35, added: “It happened so fast. Then one group ran off, followed by the other.”
His mother, Beate Rafrlkski, 66, added: ‘They have had too much beer I expect – there’s too much emotion. We were anxious the trouble was going to spread to inside the café.’
Café worker Petra Thiel said another person who was in the café at the time told her she had heard the attackers shouting something in Serbian. “In total, there were about 50 people involved’, she added. ‘I didn’t see any masks.”
England fan Matthew Simpson had been socialising with the Serbian group moments before the trouble erupted. He said he was told the attackers had been Albanians.
The incident involving England and Serbia fans came shortly after Hamburg police shot a man they say was armed with an “axe-like object” and a “Molotov cocktail” shortly before the city staged its first game of the tournament.
The German city’s police force said officers were threatened by the individual and, after he refused to drop the incendiary device, he was shot in his leg. The incident took place near the city’s fan park in the St Pauli district around two and a half hours before the Netherlands faced Poland at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
A statement from Hamburg police read: “According to current findings, a man came out of a locality around 1230pm (CET) and threatened police forces with a pickaxe/axe-like object. He was asked by them to drop this item.
“He also threatened the police officers with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, which he did not drop despite being asked and continued to walk towards the officers.
“The police then used their service weapon and shot him in the leg. This prevented further attacks and no emergency services or other bystanders were injured.
“The police officers immediately provided first aid, which was continued a short time later by medical personnel. The man is currently receiving further care in a hospital.”
Pictures on social media had earlier shown thousands of Netherlands supporters in the city enjoying the build-up to the Group D opener. The incident reportedly took place near to where a large crowd of Dutch supporters were gathered, however the police could not say whether the fans were being targeted.
“A football connection cannot currently be determined, nor are there currently any insights into other motivations,” Hamburg police added.
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