Women’s football is usually blissfully free of the hooliganism that too often ruins the men’s game, but the security team at Wembley Stadium is taking nothing for granted ahead of England playing Germany in the Euro 2022 final on Sunday, after their glorious win against Sweden.
Little more than a year after the ground was invaded by ticketless fans who punched and kicked their way through doors to see England play Italy in the the climax of the men’s European Championships, the Football Association (FA) says “robust” measures haven been put in place ahead of the women’s showpiece event.
The Metropolitan Police Service said in December that it was “deeply sorry” after an official review by Baroness Casey found that “unacceptable scenes of disorder” at the final last year could have “led to serious injury or even loss of life”, had it not been for good fortune in a “series of very near misses”.
The FA cannot reveal specific details about what physical security enhancements have been made at the stadium since then, to avoid undermining the upgraded facilities. But it assures supporters there have been substantial improvements in the “technical, structural and personnel elements” of its safeguards this year.
Recent improvements to the stadium’s infrastructure reportedly include 14 new secure gates at disabled entrances, a new control room, and upgrades of 44 high-definition CCTV cameras and magnetic locks on perimeter doors.
Promising a “safe and memorable experience” for the crowd, which could number a record 90,000, a spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: “The safety and security of fans at Wembley Stadium is of paramount importance and we have robust security measures in place before, during and after all events at the stadium.
“The safety and security requirements for each event at Wembley Stadium is assessed individually. During this process, we work closely with the police and the relevant authorities to ensure that our security protocols meet the highest standards and are in line with the Sports Grounds Safety Authority guidance.”
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In May, the FA and security chiefs were reported to be preparing for anti-social male supporters to begin following the England women’s team if they progressed through the tournament’s knock-out stages. But there are believed to have been no football-related arrests during Euro 2022 so far, three weeks after the tournament began.
The tournament has not been immune to online abuse, however, with Uefa reporting 290 cases to social media companies by the end of the group stage. Several members of England’s men’s team were subjected to “totally unacceptable” racist abuse after they lost on penalties in last year’s final, and their manager Gareth Southgate appealed for an end to sexist hatred before the start of Euro 2022.
Plans for a crackdown on dangerous behaviour at men’s football matches have been announced this week ahead of the new season, to protect players, officials and supporters. They include automatic bans for all pitch invaders, following several incidents last season, and anyone carrying flares, which have often been used by European fans but became a more common sight at Premier League grounds last season. Drug use will also be targeted with more sniffer dogs.
The only mention of the H word at the Women’s Euros so far, however, has been the “Soft Hooligans” of Sweden: a group of fans who follow their team with devotion and enjoy chanting and cheering, but do so while also wanting “to create a loud and inclusive culture around women’s football”.
This is despite historian Dr Matt McDowell from the University of Edinburgh recently discovering that one of the earliest recorded examples of hooliganism in British football occurred between two sets of female fans in 1898. A fight between rival “mill girls” who followed Port Glasgow Athletic and Morton left one woman requiring medical attention to an eye wound after stones were thrown.
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