The behavior of some England fans has been described as “appalling” by British police chiefs after 90 were arrested before and after the friendly international against the Netherlands in Amsterdam on Friday.
Video footage on social media showed some fans throwing bottles at police and bicycles into Amsterdam’s historic canals before the match in the Amsterdam Arena.
The Dutch national anthem was also booed by a minority of England fans, an act described as “unacceptable” by England manager Gareth Southgate.
Photo: Reuters
“The behavior of a large number of England supporters was appalling,” said deputy chief constable Mark Roberts, the British National Police Chiefs’ Council head for soccer policing. “Any attempts to downplay it are wide of the mark.”
“The sad fact is that the drunken mob’s behavior reinforces the negative stereotype of England supporters and will impact on the treatment all fans can expect when they follow the team abroad,” he added.
There were more than 100 arrests over two days, the largest number of arrests of England fans for a single game in several years, Roberts said.
“Unfortunately, it follows a worrying trend observed at recent fixtures,” he said.
England’s Football Supporters’ Federation chief executive Kevin Miles said there was no defense for the “atrocious anti-social behavior by a minority of English fans.”
Miles said the trouble had been caused by a minority of younger fans who had not gone to watch the match.
“It is not in the interests of the regular England followers for the anti-social behavior to creep back in as it will inevitably impact on how we are received and treated by host police forces elsewhere,” he said.
There were 5,234 official England Supporters Club ticket holders at the game. The Football Association said any of its members identified as causing trouble would be banned.
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