With millions of people attending matches and enjoying Euro 2024 in Germany’s fan zones, the issue of supporter safety is paramount. Yet how secure women feel at big tournaments, and what can be done to create safer spaces for female fans, receives less focus. Not feeling safe is a particular concern for women at high-profile men’s tournaments, including the Euros.
Crowd disturbances and violence at men’s international matches have always received widespread media coverage. In the aftermath of the Euro 2020 final against Italy, English football faced questions around the mob mentality on display, yet this ignored the problem of misogyny that included sexist chanting, sexual harassment and even sexual assault.
The ensuing Netflix documentary The Final: Attack on Wembley, which examines the scenes of chaos at England’s national football stadium, did not examine how this hyper-masculine behaviour affected women as fans, police officers and stewards. Instead, it focused on the usual headlines: ticketless fans, cocaine and alcohol consumption.
