England fans blast ‘total DISASTER’ event organisation at Euro 2024, with ‘one tram every 20 minutes for 45,000 supporters’ after Serbia game and nightmare queues into early hours

England fans have slammed the disastrous event management at Euro 2024 after many were forced to endure nightmarish queues and travel chaos following England’s victory over Serbia in Gelsenkirchen.

Gareth Southgate’s side started their season with a nail-biting 1-0 win at the Veltins-Arena on Sunday evening, thanks to a first-half goal from Jude Bellingham.

Fans were treated to a free-flowing, at times exciting first 30 minutes before the attacking intent gave way to a deep defensive block. And in turn, cold water was poured on the England supporter’s pre-tournament optimism.

But many fans were unable to properly enjoy the relief of victory as they raged over the failure of the transport system around the 62,000-seat stadium.

Many attendees stood in huge lines for several hours after the final whistle, while trams arrived at the Gelsenkirchen Veltins-Arena stop only once every 20 minutes.

There were reports that trams arrived only once every twenty minutes at a station serving a 62,000-seat stadium

It was also reported that trams consisted of just three carriages, which did little to reduce the backlog

The delays also left dozens of stadium visitors exposed to the elements, with reports of some fans waiting soaked in the rain.

Those affected took to social media to condemn the organization of the event, with one quoting a safety inspector as saying the event was a ‘disgrace’.

‘It’s 12.40pm – almost two hours after the final whistle in Gelsenkirchen – and tens of thousands of fans are still standing in a huge queue to take a tram from the stadium into the city.’ Wrote Belfast Telegraph reporter Adrian Rutherford about X. ‘One safety inspector, apologizing to fans, has called the organization of tonight’s match ‘a disgrace’.

‘Some fans, once back in the city centre, have to travel onwards to Frankfurt and Cologne, etc. A family with young children has been left in tears by the chaos.

‘Trams run irregularly and have only three carriages, while the platform can accommodate double that number. Some fans are soaked while they have to wait two hours before they can get on the tram.’

‘Gelsenkirchen a total disaster – it took almost 3 hours to catch a tram and travel the 7km back to the main station. A 60,000 seat stadium, served by 400 person trams running every 15 minutes,” another user wrote.

ESPN’s James Olley said: ‘This really isn’t great. Gelsenkirchen’s main station is packed with fans still trying to get out, but trains don’t show up or are delayed. The game ended almost three hours ago.”

An estimated 40,000 England supporters are believed to have descended on Gelsenkirchen and neighboring cities such as Dusseldorf and Cologne this weekend.

Earlier in the day there were reports that fans were experiencing problems getting to the ground after a broken down train caused delays on public transport.

Frustrated fans reported waiting more than half an hour for a train, while sports journalist Oliver Kay described the situation as a ‘total mess’.

Those present expressed their dissatisfaction with the organization of the event via social media

Many English fans had travel problems getting to the ground after a tram broke down

He wrote on social media: ‘For any England or Serbia fans who are still in the middle of Gelsenkirchen (or worse, not there yet), I advise you to walk if you can. It’s about five kilometers, but the public transport situation is a total mess.’

German police worked with authorities from London and Belgrade to avoid ugly scenes in the areas around the stadium and during the match itself.