Champions League final disrupted by THREE pitch invaders as spectators get on the Wembley pitch in the opening minute… after FA spent £5million on ‘ring of steel’ operation to increase security
- Three invaders stormed the Wembley grass in the Champions League final
- Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer tackled one of them to the ground
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Three pitch invaders stormed the Wembley grass in the first 30 seconds of the Champions League final, with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer tackling one to the ground.
Play was stopped when the three troublemakers stormed the grass of European football’s showpiece match between Dortmund and Real Madrid.
Sabitzer took matters into his own hands after someone escaped from the stewards, chased him down and pushed him to the ground to help security arrest him.
Cameras shifted focus to the crowd rather than the invasion on the pitch, with viewers initially unaware of the disruption.
The Football Association had pumped £5 million into the security operation at Wembley, with a ‘ring of steel’ involving thousands of stewards and improved ticket checks.
Three pitch invaders stormed the Wembley turf in the opening minute of the Champions League final
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer helped tackle one of the field invaders
The game was stopped for a few minutes and the cameras switched to the crowd
It was designed to be the largest security operation in the stadium’s history.
The idea was to avoid a repeat of the embarrassing scenes that marred the EUro 2020 final between England and Italy, with fans who did not have tickets storming the stands.
Wembley was a scene of drink and drug induced chaos that evening, with arguments breaking out.
The previous two Champions League finals, in Paris and Istanbul, were also overshadowed by major logistical problems outside the stadiums, leading to chaotic and dangerous scenes – something the FA were desperate to avoid.
More than 2,500 security stewards have been deployed, the most Wembley has ever seen.
The investment has been used to strengthen the stadium’s security infrastructure, including increasing the strength of all Wembley doors with additional magnetic lock systems to ensure there is no repeat of people successfully ripping them off their hinges.
Additional fencing and gates have been provided at Wembley sites, while the area under the iconic Olympic steps has been significantly reinforced since the European Championship finals.
A significant portion of the money has been spent on improving CCTV in and around Wembley, while a second security control room large enough to house around 18 officers has been opened, with the specific role of monitoring events outside the stadium perimeter , including metro stations and local police forces. pubs.
This summer marks three years since Wembley was the scene of booze- and drug-fuelled chaos
Fans flocked to Wembley ahead of the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy and stormed the stadium
The FA has pumped £5 million into the security operation at Wembley for this year’s final
The FA has also invested in providing additional body cameras for event stewards.
One of the criticisms of the security operation for the Euro 2020 final was the apprehensive approach taken by parts of the flight attendants that day, although many have since insisted they did not have the level of expertise to deal with the kind of drunken fans who attended Wembley arrive. with the intention of causing trouble.
But the FA insist they have since improved their training and monitoring strategies regarding the selection of stewards for Wembley events.
There is also a feeling that the selection pool of stewards for the 2020 European Championships was lower due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19.
