The Final: Attack on Wembley trailer focuses on 2020 Euro debacle
Netflix has released the official trailer for the upcoming documentary The Final: Attack on Wembley. The movie will highlight crowd disorder ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 final between England and Italy. By advancing to the title-deciding match, the Three Lions were able to play the final in front of their home fans. Wembley Stadium […]
Netflix has released the official trailer for the upcoming documentary The Final: Attack on Wembley.
The movie will highlight crowd disorder ahead of the UEFA Euro 2020 final between England and Italy. By advancing to the title-deciding match, the Three Lions were able to play the final in front of their home fans. Wembley Stadium in London is currently the home of the England national team.
Although initially set to take place in 2020, the tournament was actually held throughout the summer of 2021. The decision to postpone the competition was ultimately down to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last match between England and Italy took place on July 11th, 2021 and was the first significant final for the Three Lions since 1966.
England previously collected the World Cup trophy during the tournament nearly 60 years ago. Nevertheless, they would eventually fall to Italy in the 2020 Euro final on penalty kicks. Italy’s triumph was their second in the competition’s history. While the match was certainly thrilling, scenes prior to kickoff have unfortunately gained significant attention for the wrong reasons.
Thousands of fans stormed Wembley without tickets
Because of restrictions due to the pandemic, a limited number of tickets were sold for the final. Wembley can usually accommodate around 90,000 fans on a typical matchday. However, officials in charge restricted the amount of tickets available to the public to around 67,000 people.
Despite the ticketing limitations, thousands of English fans gathered outside of Wembley to experience the atmosphere for such a big game. Many of these Three Lions supporters did not have tickets to the final. While people assembling outside of an arena is not a crime, many of the fans turned to violence to gain access into the stadium.
Several soccer supporters were seen fighting with stewards and police officers near the Wembley gates. Dozens of people were arrested in the incident, but many ticketless fans were actually able to enter the arena. In fact, around 2,000 people managed to get in without necessary tickets. Of the thousands to illegally get into Wembley, just 400 of them were ultimately ejected from the stadium.
Government review highlights series of shocking events ahead of game
Along with the fighting, an inquest surrounding the events also made clear that many innocent people, including children, were subjected to foul language and racial abuse. Threats of violence towards fellow fans and drug use were prevalent on the scene as well.
The report also claimed that the actions by the fans could have even led to multiple deaths in and around Wembley. Government officials working on the review labeled the incident as “appalling” and a “national shame.”
An additional report also suggested that an outbreak of COVID-19 was directly linked to those attending the 2020 Euros. Data recovered at the time claimed that more than 9,000 cases came from people at the tournament. More than half of this figure supposedly came from fans at the final between England and Italy.
The full Netflix documentary on the incident at Wembley will hit the streaming service on May 8th.
Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images.