- Three invaders charged on the Wembley turf in the Champions League final
- Borussia Dortmund midfield Marcel Sabitzer tackled one of them to the ground
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Three pitch invaders stormed the Wembley turf in the first 30 seconds of the Champions League final – with Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer tackling one to the ground.
Play was halted when the three troublemakers darted onto the turf of European football’s showpiece match between Dortmund and Real Madrid.
The man in white shirt and Puma shorts appeared to be filming on his cellphone and evaded capture as security staff struggled to ground him.
Two other men broke through security but one was pounced on near the half way line and failed to disrupt play.
Sabitzer took matters into his own hands after one got away from the stewards, chasing and shoving him to the ground to help security apprehend him.
Cameras switched attention to the crowd rather than the pitch invasion, with viewers initially kept unaware of the disturbance.
More than 600 stewards in yellow bibs lined the touch line as the players came off for halft-ime.
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.
The Wembley Stadium announcer warned fans in English, German and Spanish that entering the pitch was ‘an arrestable offence’.
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The Football Association had pumped £5million into the security operation at Wembley, with a ‘ring of steel’ involving thousands of stewards and enhanced ticket checks.
It was designed to be the largest security operation in the stadium’s history.
The idea was to avoid a repeat of the shameful scenes that marred the EUro 2020 final between England and Italy, with fans who didn’t have tickets storming the stands.
Wembley that night was a scene of drink and drug-fuelled chaos, getting into fights.
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 have been desperate to avoid.
Over 2,500 security stewards have been deployed, the most Wembley has ever seen.
The investment has been used to solidify the stadium’s security infrastructure, including the increasing the strength of all Wembley’s doors with additional magnetic lock systems to ensure there is no repeat of people successfully ripping them of their hinges.
Additional fences and gates have been delivered throughout Wembley’s parameters, while the area underneath the iconic Olympic steps has been significantly bolstered since the Euros final.
A significant part of the money has been spent on improving CCTV in and around Wembley, while a second security control room big enough to house around 18 officers has been opened with the specific remit of monitoring events outside the stadium’s perimeter, including tube stations and local pubs.
The FA have 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 from sections of the stewarding staff that day, although many have since insisted they did not have the level of expertise to handle the sort of intoxicated fan that arrive at Wembley intent on causing trouble.
But the FA insist they have since improved their training and vetting strategies regarding steward selection for Wembley events.
There is also a sense that the selection pool of stewards for the Euros in 2020 was lower due to the ongoing impact of Covid-19.