England defender Harry Maguire said his father had injured ribs and had trouble breathing after being caught up in the surge when hundreds of fans without tickets broke through security barriers to get into Wembley Stadium in a bid to watch Sunday’s Euro 2020 final versus Italy.
The Uefa on Tuesday had asked an investigator to probe the violence by England fans at the game. The Football Association (FA) has been separately charged with multiple offences by fans before and during their team’s loss to Italy in a shootout after both teams were locked at 1-1.
Maguire told The Sun that his father was “in the stampede” and had been scared but didn’t seek medical treatment. “I have seen a lot of videos and spoken to dad and my family. It was my dad and agent who suffered the most,” Maguire told the tabloid.
“He was struggling with his breathing afterwards because of his ribs, but he’s not one to make a big fuss. He got on with it.”
The Uefa’s charges against FA also relate to booing Italy’s national anthem, a fan who stopped play by running on the pitch, throwing objects and lighting fireworks. While those offences typically result in fines, stringer action such as full or partial stadium closures can follow the kind of violence seen on Sunday.
The official attendance was around 67,000 out of the stadium’s 90,000 capacity, with many seats intended to be left empty to distance fans amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
But there was extremely high demand for tickets for England’s first major tournament final in 55 years.
Fans could be seen standing in the stadium bowl unable to access their seats before the game and stadium officials confirmed “a small group of people” had got in without tickets.
