Violent fan clashes in Gelsenkirchen before England’s first match of Euro 2024

Violence broke out between England and Serbia fans in central Gelsenkirchen after football hooligans started a brawl on the streets of the German city.

Hundreds of German riot police were forced to intervene after a dozen England fans attempted to start a running battle with Serbians after rushing fans sitting outside the Hirt Steakhouse.

The English hooligans hurled bottles, chairs and tables as they started the “premeditated” brawl with Serbians after “looking for a scrap” ahead of the Three Lions’ opening game against Serbia at the Veltins-Arena.

Police arrested seven Serbians who retaliated and detained several England fans following the fight which left a man in his twenties from Birmingham with “blood pouring from his head”.

Some witnesses claimed some attackers, including one with a Bolton Wanderers tattoo and another with a ‘Lest We Forget’ tattoo, were wearing masks and Albanians were also involved.

“It was proper mental,” a witness said. “A group of lads just appeared out of nowhere and started going for them. There were guys on the floor and blood everywhere.”

Another English fan, who was not involved in the violence, claimed a group of men in balaclavas “ran around the corner and started throwing bottles”.

“I ran away and the next thing I saw was the tables being smashed and chairs being thrown,” the fan, who gave his name as Larry, added.

His friend added: “It was premeditated. They threw bottles, I just ran off.”

The Serbian group attacked by England fans included former cruiserweight boxer Alexander Petkovic, who unsuccessfully challenged Britain’s Jonny Nelson in 2003

Speaking outside the restaurant  minutes before the attack, Mr Petkovic: “It’s always possible that there will be trouble but Serbia will never attack first.

However he added: “If we are attacked then we will fight back. It is in the history of Serbians to defend ourselves.”

A mother and son enjoying their regular Sunday routine of coffee and cake at the Café Pabot opposite the Hirt Steakhouse said they were sat on the first floor when “all of a sudden bits of food and bottles started being thrown.”

“It happened so fast,” Felix Wurmes, 35, said. “Then one group ran off, followed by the other.”

His mother, Beate Rafrlkski, 66, added: “They have had too much beer I expect – there’s too much emotion. We were anxious the trouble was going to spread to inside the café.”

Café worker Petra Thiel said another person who was in the restaurant at the time told her she had heard the attackers shouting something in Serbian.

“In total, there were about 50 people involved,” she added. “I didn’t see any masks.”

A Croatian fan who witnessed the disorder said: “It all happened really quickly.”

She added: “I think they were English hooligans because they screamed something in English. The English were throwing bottles and then the Serbians started throwing them back. Then the attackers ran off in the opposite direction and we ran away. It was very scary.”

Earlier a group of England fans near the city’s train station fought among themselves and one man was detained as bottles were hurled outside a bar.

Police are believed to be checking bars for those involved in the clash with Serbians and detained some fans from a pub where there was a heavy police presence. A group of Serbian fans, believed to be ultras, were escorted by police through the city.

Some Albanian hooligans were also present and pictures on social media showed some meeting up with England thugs.

A spokesman for Gelsenkirchen police said: “There was a clash between Serbian and English football fans in the south of the city of Gelsenkirchen. These fan groups were separated. The police measures are currently ongoing. The background to the dispute has not yet been clarified.”

A UK Football Policing Unit spokesman said any fans identified would be issued with banning orders.

“We are aware of an issue in Gelsenkirchen ahead of the England v Serbia match,” the statement said.

“Our German colleagues have made a number of arrests of what we currently believe to be Serbian supporters. At this stage we do not believe that any UK nationals have been arrested but enquiries are ongoing.

“Our officers are at the location speaking to German colleagues. Our investigation team is now reviewing footage of the incident and if any UK nationals have been involved, football banning orders will be sought.”

Violence erupts in Gelsenkirchen ahead of England vs Serbia, as it happened

06:14 PM BST

Statement from Gelsenkirchen police

06:07 PM BST

Fairytale moment for Eriksen

In the other Group C game, Denmark lead Slovenia at the Stuttgart Arena thanks to a first half strike from Christian Eriksen.

It came 1100 days on from suffering a cardiac arrest on the pitch at Euro 2020.

Follow the second half here.

05:44 PM BST

England fans starting to arrive at Arena AufSchalke

05:25 PM BST

Statement from UK Football Policing United

05:11 PM BST

‘Police investigating a “physical altercation”’

No English fans have been arrested despite launching the attack on Serbian fans meaning the hooligans involved are still at large.

Police confirmed they were investigating a “physical altercation”.

A spokesman for Gelsenkirchen police said: “We can confirm that there was a physical altercation between several people in the south of the city of Gelsenkirchen.

“The police are on site with sufficient personnel and have the situation under control. We cannot confirm at this point whether the altercation was football related or which nationalities were involved.”

05:00 PM BST

Three hours to kick off in Gelsenkirchen

04:47 PM BST

Latest from Gelsenkirchen

The hooligans who started the brawl are believed to be either English or Albanian after attacking a restaurant where Serbian fans were sitting.

In one video, a fan hurling a table had a Bolton Wanderers tattoo on his leg suggesting the fans were English, but other witnesses believed they were Albanian.

Hooligan social media accounts show Albanian ultras from Shvercerat posing with Birmingham City fans in Gelsenkirchen this morning.

04:25 PM BST

First-floor footage of fan violence

More videos emerging from the scene of the first notable clash between England and Serbia supporters.

04:22 PM BST

British police helping German counterparts

British police spotters were on the scene as the violence erupted but it is still unclear who launched the attack.

An English fan said a group of men in balaclavas “ran around the corner and started throwing bottles.”

“I ran away and the next thing I saw was the tables being smashed and chairs being thrown,” the fan, who gave his name as Larry, added.

His friend added: “It was premeditated. They threw bottles, I just ran off.”

A mother and son enjoying their regular Sunday routine of coffee and cake at the Café Pabot opposite the Hirt Steakhouse said they were sat on the first floor when “all of a sudden bits of food and bottles started being thrown.”

“It happened so fast,” Felix Wurmes, 35, said. “Then one group ran off, followed by the other.”

His mother, Beate Rafrlkski, 66, added: “They have had too much beer I expect – there’s too much emotion. We were anxious the trouble was going to spread to inside the café.”

Café worker Petra Thiel said another person who was in the restaurant at the time told her she had heard the attackers shouting something in Serbian.

“In total, there were about 50 people involved,” she added. “I didn’t see any masks”.

03:46 PM BST

More footage of the same clash

Again, if you play the video below, please expect bad language.

03:35 PM BST

Video of clash between England and Serbia supporters

Warning: the video in the post embedded below contains swearing. It appears to show a clash between sets of football supporters in Gelsenkirchen.

03:28 PM BST

Fan trouble before England vs Serbia

Gelsenkirchen, where England face Serbia tonight at 8pm, could be a bit of a mess by the end of the day. Images are now coming in from some of the streets where England fans and Serbia fans have been clashing.

03:00 PM BST

Inside the Arena AufSchalke

02:58 PM BST

Beware of Mitrovic

Serbia’s all-time goalscorer Aleksandar Mitrović is set to start against England tonight. Last summer he swapped Fulham for Al-Hilal and scored 28 goals in 28 games in the Saudi Pro League last season. Sam Dean has been looking into the threat that Mitrović will pose tonight and how careful the England defence will need to be.

02:51 PM BST

HT in Hamburg

They are at the break in the first game of the afternoon and it is 1-1 between Poland and the Netherlands.

02:40 PM BST

Bellingham in leadership group

Despite just being 20-years-old, Jude Bellingham has been promoted into the leadership group alongside Harry Kane, Kyle Walker and Declan Rice. Mike McGrath has all the latest from Gelsenkirchen.

02:37 PM BST

Fancy a flutter?

Tonight, and throughout the tournament, you can take advantage of these Euro 2024 betting offers.

02:35 PM BST

Fixtures and results

You can keep across all of the games and group standings from Euro 2024, as well as the knockout bracket when we reach that stage of the competition. We have you covered and all of the information is right here.

02:31 PM BST

Dutch equaliser

The Netherlands are level and it is Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo who has it. His strike from outside the box takes a deflection and beats Wojciech Szczesny. 1-1 in Hamburg and the live action can be followed right here.

02:23 PM BST

Goal in Hamburg

Poland have taken the lead against the Netherlands inside the opening 20 minutes thanks to Adam Buksa’s header. You can follow all the latest action from Hamburg in our live blog here.

02:20 PM BST

Trouble in Gelsenkirchen

Neil Johnston, Senior News Reporter

Police are saying there was a scuffle between England fans. A man, who had been arrested, has now been released and is from Sunderland .

A German officer in riot gear said there was an argument which led to an arrest. Bottles were smashed in the street, with witnesses saying it was a bar fight. The said police expect more violence later but were “well prepared” for trouble.

02:11 PM BST

Serbia a threat?

England’s opponents tonight is Gelsenkirchen is Serbia, managed by Dragan Stojkovic. Sam Dean has an in-depth scouting report on Stojkovic’s side.

02:05 PM BST

Has Southgate been disrespected?

This will be Gareth Southgate’s fourth tournament as England manager. England lost the Euro 2020 final to Italy and were knocked out in the semi and quarter-finals of the two World Cups during his reign. In an exclusive interview, former England striker Alan Shearer believes Southgate has not been given the recognition he merits.

02:00 PM BST

Kane and Bellingham the key?

England’s campaign gets under way in Gelsenkirchen tonight against Serbia. Jamie Carragher has explained why the performances of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will prove to be more important to England’s chances than manager Gareth Southgate.

01:53 PM BST

First game of the day

The game in Hamburg between Poland and the Netherlands is kicking off in just over five minutes. You can follow all the action on our dedicated live blog here.

01:35 PM BST

Heavy police presence

01:28 PM BST

Video of the incident from Hamburg

01:23 PM BST

Meanwhile in Gelsenkirchen

England will wear an all-white kit tonight against Serbia in their Euro opener, as they did in the two crucial victories against Italy in qualification to reach the finals in Germany.

Gareth Southgate’s official home colours - and the combination for supporters buying the Nike strip in shops - is the traditional white shirt with blue shorts. England were expected to wear this combination at Arena AufSchalke tonight but in a late change will wear white shorts.

They wore all-white in their Euro 2020 opener three years ago against Croatia, and also against Italy in the Wembley final of the tournament when they lost on penalties. They wore it twice at the World Cup in 2022, drawing against USA and winning against Senegal.

It was during the qualifiers to reach Euro 2024 that Southgate’s team wore all-white during wins in Naples, which laid the foundation for qualification, then against the Italians at Wembley when they sealed their place in the finals.

England also have their eye-catching “dark raisin” away strip which they wore against Bosnia in a warm-up friendly. They also wore all-white against Iceland in their final match, which ended in defeat, before flying out to Germany. Serbia will be in all-red.

01:16 PM BST

Ben Rumsby live from Gelsenkirchen

Police have confirmed there have so far been no arrests or other notable incidents involving England fans in north-west Germany in the build-up to Sunday’s match. That is in stark contrast to the country’s Euros opener in Marseille eight years ago, before which supporters were tear-gassed and detained following rioting on the eve of the game against Russia.

01:10 PM BST

The Molotov cocktail used by the attacker

01:03 PM BST

Police everywhere in the streets of Hamburg

12:51 PM BST

Build-up to first game of the day

Poland take on the Netherlands in Group D in just over an hour, where there will be plenty of updates from the incident as well as build-up to the match. You can follow all the latest from our live blog here.

12:45 PM BST

Police cordon

12:40 PM BST

Update on the ground in Hamburg

The incident is said to have taken place around 12.30pm local time on Silbersackstrasse near a fanzone for supporters of the Netherlands national team, who are due to face Poland in their opening Group D game at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion on Sunday afternoon.

According to eyewitness accounts, four loud bangs were heard and then scores of riot police moved in. Police have closed the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, not far from the fan zone where thousands of Holland fans are congregating.

The German newspaper Bild have reported that the incendiary device was a “Molotov cocktail” in the attacker’s backpack. According to reports, the man was hit in the leg.

12:34 PM BST

Incident in Hamburg

Neil Johnston, Senior News Reporter

In footage posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, claiming to be of the incident, shots were heard before police were pictured dealing with a person on the ground.

Police added that the match between Poland and the Netherlands “is subject to various security checks and is well protected” and “we are currently assuming an individual perpetrator”.

12:27 PM BST

The latest from Hamburg

Neil Johnston, Senior News Reporter

Police in Germany have shot an axe-wielding man who threatened football fans at the Euros.

The incident took place on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg, a popular entertainment district in Hamburg’s city centre, where Dutch supporters were marching.

Around 40,000 Dutch supporters were taking part in a peaceful protest when a man wielding a gold-coloured axe began to attack fans and officials, the German newspaper Bild reported.

A statement by Hamburg police read: “At St Pauli there is currently a major police operation.

“According to initial findings, a person threatened police officers with a pickaxe and an incendiary device. The police then used their firearms. The attacker was injured and is currently receiving medical treatment.”

12:24 PM BST

Distressing scenes from Hamburg

12:21 PM BST

Terrible news coming from Hamburg

12:17 PM BST

Time right for England?

Gareth Southgate’s men are favourites to win Euro 2024 amongst many bookmakers and there is doubt that England have a plethora of talent at their disposal; Bellingham, Foden, Kane, Alexander-Arnold to name just a few. For so long it has been pain and sorrow at international tournaments, but could this finally be England’s year? Jason Burt and Daniel Zeqiri have explaining why England can go all the way.

12:11 PM BST

England fans descending on Arena AufSchalke

The day has arrived. Having previously looked like roughly 65 per cent of people in Germany were kilt-wearing and - as it turned out - Scottish, the profile of fan has changed. In Essen, near to Schalke 04’s stadium where England play Serbia, the city is filling up with England fans. Shorts, new replica shirts and rain jackets is the uniform for many as there is a drizzle in the great industrial Ruhr region. Essen centre is like the typical English town in the 1970s on a Sunday - nothing is open. They will be heading to Gelsenkirchen and the fanzones shortly and no doubt the bars will be doing a brisk trade. When they open.

12:08 PM BST

Happy Father’s Day

England’s opening game of the tournament falls on Father’s Day and the England players have been paying tribute to their Dads. Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads out there, including my own Dad!

12:06 PM BST

Make your match and Euros predictions

How do you think England will fare in their opening game tonight against Serbia? Remember you can have your say not just on tonight’s game, but also for the tournament.

12:01 PM BST

‘Just a boy from Birmingham’

One man who will play a key role if England are going to go all the way is Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham. He had a stellar debut season in Spain, which culminated in the La Liga title and Champions League glory at Wembley earlier this month. Our very own Jason Burt has been taking a closer look at Bellingham’s life in Madrid and his inner circle.

11:53 AM BST

Team guides

Euro 2024 has 24 teams competing, split into six groups of four. From England to Albania, we have you covered with our team-by-team guide, where you can take a look at each team’s star player, their style of play, chances of victory and their squad in full.

11:49 AM BST

The scene for tonight

Arena AufSchalke is where it all begins at Euro 2024 for England tonight. For sponsorship reasons it is more commonly known as Veltins-Arena and it opened back in 2001. It has a retractable roof and the capacity is just a tick over 60,000. It is the home of Schalke, who have had a miserable few seasons. They currently languish in Bundesliga 2 and finished mid-table last season. It has been quite the fall from grace for Schalke, who have suffered from financial troubles and they are a long way away from Champions League football, where they were not too long ago.

11:43 AM BST

Atmosphere building in Gelsenkirchen

11:37 AM BST

Tangible success

With Gareth Southgate’s comments to Bild earlier this week about his future if England do not win this tournament, inevitably questions will be asked about his legacy. A lot has been made of improving team culture and connecting more with the England fans, but does Southgate need to win Euro 2024 to erase any nagging doubts over his record as England manager. This is his fourth tournament as England manager; they lost to Croatia in the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, then were losing finalists at Euro 2020 to Italy and were knocked out by France in Qatar in the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022. Our very own Oliver Brown has given his say on Southgate’s need to win this tournament.

11:33 AM BST

Here we go again

Will it be time to get hurt again for the nation or will the hurt finally end?

11:25 AM BST

Today is the day

Euro 2024 is finally upon us and England kick off their campaign tonight in Gelsenkirchen against Serbia at 20.00 BST. It has been a long 18 months since England’s defeat at the hands of France at the World Cup in Qatar in December 2022 and all England fans are hoping that the long wait for major tournament success since 1966 will end next month with glory in Berlin in the final.

The tournament got under way on Friday night where the hosts Germany kicked off their campaign in emphatic style with a 5-1 battering of Scotland. Yesterday saw Switzerland, Spain and Italy all begin with wins. Despite those wins for the likes of Germany and Spain, England are still favourites with many of the bookmakers. That certainly increases the pressure on Gareth Southgate and England but, with the players at their disposal, they should be amongst the favourites to win Euro 2024 and it will likely come down to how they handle the pressure on them.

This could well be Southgate’s last chance to win a major tournament with England. Having taken over in 2016 initially as interim manager after Sam Allardyce’s one game in charge, he has led England into three tournaments, reaching the Euro 2020 final losing to Italy. His contract runs out at the end of the year and he has admitted to German newspaper Bild this week that he may no longer be the England manager beyond the tournament should they fail to win Euro 2024.

Before England kick off against Serbia, they may have one small eye on the other game in Group C where Slovenia play Denmark, whom England beat in the semi-finals at the last Euros, at 17.00 BST.

England historically have not fared well in their opening matches at the Euros. Of their last nine opening games at the European Championship, their only victory came last time out in 2021 against Croatia where Raheem Sterling’s only goal at Wembley gave England a 1-0 win. Southgate will be hoping this campaign does not stall at the first hurdle. England have not been in the best of form lately either; registering just one win from their last five games in all competitions.

We will have all of the build-up to tonight’s match so make sure you stay with us all day! Do not go anywhere!