The Guardian have spoken to an England fan who got into Wembley ticketless on Sunday… and it reflects pretty horribly on all involved in organising and staffing the event.
You’ve all seen the videos, you’ve all read the news. The Euro 2020 final at Wembley was an absolute farce, with fans making fools of officials to force entry into the stadium to watch the match.
Courtesy of the Guardian, we’ve now been able to hear directly from one of the offenders, who shed light on Telegram chats including hundred of fans who were intent on getting in without a ticket.
The fan, code name ‘Pablo’, revealed that stewards who were tasked with protecting the turnstiles were able to be bribed for as little as £20, with the Guardian hearing a voice message of one recount in particular.
“put the money [£120, in this instance] in my pocket as I’m patting you down.”
“It was probably more than he earned on that shift. Money talks.”
Pablo went on to tell the Guardian:
“A lot of stewards seemed more than willing to help. We offered one £200 to let five of us in. At about quarter to seven we were waiting for the steward’s mate to show up and that’s when we saw a disabled door open so we just ran through.”
While you can admire the craftsmanship of those who were able to bribe stewards, the fact it was so seemingly straightforward is of huge concern going forward.
Thugs who forcibly entered the stadium via violence will (hopefully) be identified and punished, but how can you ever really prevent low-paid stewards taking bribes from determined fans?
The inquest into this absolute car crash of an event will be lengthy.
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