Euro 2024: Police intervene to stop clashes between English and Serbian fans

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Riot police in Germany intervened to break up brawls between soccer fans before Sunday’s game. Match between Serbia and England at the European Football Championship tournament.

Social media videos show men throwing chairs at each other outside a restaurant decorated with Serbian flags in the western city of Gelsenkirchen. A group quickly left the restaurant as riot police arrived and wrestled at least one man to the ground.

A Serbian fan told the Associated Press that a group of English fans threw glasses and stones at the area outside the restaurant where he and others were sitting drinking beer.

“There was a collision and we are fine. So that’s it, we go to the game and hope we win. It’s about football,” said the man, who introduced himself only as Vladimir and said he was from the Serbian capital Belgrade.

Reporters who arrived shortly after the fighting found the street littered with broken glass and tables, with several dozen police officers standing nearby.

Gelsenkirchen police said in a statement that officers intervened to break up a confrontation between Serbian and English fans.

“Riot police were deployed and separated the two fan camps. They took seven Serbian supporters into custody and filed charges of grievous bodily harm,” the statement said.

There was no immediate information about injuries.

The Euro 2024 match between England and Serbia has been classified as a high-risk match by police due to fears of possible violence among fans. Both groups of fans are known for causing unrest before and during matches.

Around 20,000 English and 10,000 Serbian fans were expected to attend the game in the city. To avoid possible problems, only low-alcohol beer will be served in the Gelsenkirchen stadium.

___

Stephen Graham contributed to this report from Berlin.

___

AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024.