The England Supporters Travel Club has called for witnesses to come forward after an investigation was launched into the treatment of away fans before Thursday night’s Nations League match in Greece.
Some England supporters faced heavy-handed policing and tear gas on their way to the Olympic Stadium Athens, and on Friday morning the The Football Association and Football Supporters’ Association confirmed they would be launching a probe into the complaints.
England, who won the match 3-0, were backed by 3,500 travelling supporters in Thursday’s key Group B2 encounter.
Your support was massive tonight, #ThreeLions fans!
— England (@England) November 14, 2024
Thank you 👏 pic.twitter.com/hgg6X7JPjh
A statement from the ESTC, linking to an online form, read: “We are aware that some England supporters experienced difficulties when entering the Athens Olympic Stadium last night.
“FA Security, ESTC staff, the UK Police and The FSA were all on hand to witness these incidents and will work together to document and address the issue further with the appropriate authorities.
“The safety of ESTC members attending any match is a priority for us and we are disappointed in the incidents from last night.
“We will provide a further update once we have one but would encourage anyone who wishes to document their experiences to complete this form.
“Thank you to all those who made the journey to Athens and we hope you have a safe journey home.”
Unfortunately, once again, we are having to ask England supporters to send in their witness accounts to ourselves regarding the situation outside of the Athens Olympic Stadium.
— Free Lions (@WeAreFreeLions) November 14, 2024
Despite being told how things would operate in advance, to see the exact opposite occur in some…
The UK Football Policing Unit said in a statement: “A team of officers from the UKFPU were present at the match in Greece and we are aware of the difficulties that some fans experienced when attempting to enter the stadium.
“Officers actively worked with their counterparts to influence a change of tactics and, following the match, an investigation will now take place in partnership with the FA and FSA.”
Earlier on Friday, an FA spokesperson told the PA news agency: “We are aware that some of our fans had a difficult experience outside the ground and are obtaining more information on exactly what happened.
“On a night where we had a great result on the pitch, there is still clearly so much needed to do off it to ensure our supporters aren’t put in unjustifiably dangerous situations.”
England fans complained of being “pushed” and receiving “heavy handed” treatment from Greek police outside the Olympic Stadium.
Jack Loftus, from Telford, told PA: “It’s been mental. They went to adjust the queue at the front to make it narrower and longer and just did it with force. They were pushing the crowd amongst the fence.
“They ultimately treat us like animals, then they’ll act the victim if there’s retaliation. Sick of the foreign police.”
Which performance impressed you the most? 🤔#NationsLeague pic.twitter.com/8p5VmQkB5R
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) November 14, 2024
The FSA’s Free Lions Fans’ Embassy posted on X: “Unfortunately, once again, we are having to ask England supporters to send in their witness accounts to ourselves regarding the situation outside of the Athens Olympic Stadium.
“Despite being told how things would operate in advance, to see the exact opposite occur in some cases, and to see the treatment of our fans by local police using shields and tear gas to do something as simple as rearrange a queue, is so incredibly frustrating.
“We’ll say more over the next 24 hours, but in the meantime, if fans can email info@thefsa.org.uk with your experiences, we will work with the FA and we will raise with Fans Europe and in turn UEFA, who have already been made aware.”
European football’s governing body UEFA is awaiting reports from its match delegate before deciding what action to take.
