Champions League Final was Disrupted by THREE Invaders as Spectators Got on the Wembley Pitch from mar p Watch Video

⏲ Duration: 0:58
👁 View: 55K times
✓ Published: 02-Jun-2024

Description:
Wembley suffered a fresh security fiasco last night after what appeared to be an orchestrated band of pitch invaders delayed the opening moments of the Champions League final. <br/><br/>On the week the Football Association revealed it had pumped £5million into improving Wembley’s security provisions, the UEFA showcase between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund was stopped soon after kick-off after at least three fans tried to enter the pitch, two of them successfully.<br/><br/>Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer tackled one to the ground. <br/><br/>Following the disgraceful scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final here at the national stadium in the summer of 2021, the FA were determined to host a trouble-free night.<br/><br/>But the governing body's first UEFA showcase final since that fateful night here three years ago was again impacted by an embarrassing security breach.<br/><br/>A record number of stewards for an event at Wembley were deployed for the game - in the region of 2,600.<br/><br/>But even that enough wasn’t to prevent intruders from forcing their way onto the pitch, much to the annoyance of both sets of players and benches.<br/><br/>On the plus side, the supporters’ route into Wembley is understood to have run smoothly, in complete contrast to the previous two finals in Paris and Istanbul which were both impacted by logistical issues outside the stadiums leading to fan chaos outside the respective grounds.<br/><br/>Nevertheless, the chaotic scenes at the start of the game will have come as a blow to Wembley’s security staff.<br/><br/>Cameras switched attention to the crowd rather than the pitch invasion, with viewers initially kept unaware of the disturbance.<br/><br/>More than 600 stewards in yellow bibs lined the touchline as the players came off for half-time.<br/><br/>An investigation was launched into how security at such a high-level match could be breached and whether there was any political element behind the incidents.<br/><br/>The Wembley Stadium announcer warned fans in English, German, and Spanish that entering the pitch was 'an arrestable offense'.<br/><br/>Social media was awash with criticism towards the FA after the early delay as users playfully referenced the £ 5 million expenditure on bolstering Wembley security since Euro 2020. <br/><br/>‘That’s £5million well spent,’ read one post on X, the social media platform formally known as Twitter.<br/><br/>Another read: ‘Well…that’s £5million well spent. What a waste of money.’<br/><br/>Speaking this week, Chris Bryant, the FA’s director of tournaments and events, said: ‘It’s vital we deliver and do everything we can control in the best possible way.<br/><br/>‘We want this event to be as successful as possible for every reason, not least for the fans and the event in itself, but we know a lot of people will think about the Euros final as well.<br/><br/>'A massive amount of work has gone into this, an event of national significance and a chance to show London is fantastic at delivering big events, that Wembley is a home for big football matches and we do events like this very well.’