Cages, crushes and stabbings - is European away safety getting worse?

Football fans across the country dream of following their club in Europe, seeing them take on the cream of the continent's crop alongside friends and family.

But European away trips aren't all sunshine, sangria and singalongs - in recent years, there have been a number of significant security incidents in which fans' safety has been put at risk.

The 2022 Champions League final became a "near mass fatality catastrophe" due to poor organisation by Uefa and French authorities, while in the years since, fans of Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle have strongly criticised policing and security measures at matches in Istanbul, Lyon and Marseille respectively.

Earlier this season, fans were even barred from attending some away matches in the Champions League amid "extremely worrying" security trends which some believe are worsening, stripping fans of dignity and in some cases leading to dangerous situations.

Common issues fans report include:

overly aggressive policing

crushing caused by poorly managed stadium entry and exit procedures

lack of toilet access

invasive body searches

confiscation of items like power banks and medications

So, are safety conditions at some of the game's most prestigious matches really getting worse?

"There are definitely countries where the situation is deteriorating, like Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands," said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which invites travelling fans to fill in a survey about their experience after each round of European fixtures.

"There are also repeat offenders - countries and clubs where things are not improving and they have demonstrated that they are not capable of hosting games in acceptable conditions.

France, Spain, Portugal and Italy are major tourist destinations that are very used to hosting people from all over the world, but clearly treat football fans completely differently - like a threat or second-tier citizen.

Security arrangements and policing strategies for European matches are developed via a combination of host clubs, national governments, local authorities and regional police forces, with input from Uefa, who run the competitions.

The way fans are treated can vary drastically based on the place they are visiting, the policies of those running the country and/or city, the behaviour of home fans, and the context of the game. Plus, not every fan will have the same experience as others on the same trip.

"There are some things that are small humiliations - being forced to enter a stadium four hours before kick off, put on a bus for hours with no toilet, having lip balm taken off you," Evain said.

"These things are rarely necessary, and are either a way for the police to exert a form of social control, or just completely outdated.

"Then we see things like pushing thousands of fans through gates no bigger than an apartment door - there are clearly policing strategies and infrastructural failures that are putting people's lives at risk.

It just takes a few people to panic for things to go really wrong.

BBC Sport asked fans who are experienced European away travellers to document how English clubs' trips unfolded during the last two Champions League and Europa League matchweeks, choosing a range of games in different places with varied approaches to policing and security measures.

Gemma Manns, 44, Chelsea fan in Naples, Italy: "We avoided arriving in Naples until the afternoon of the game, based on Napoli fans' reputation for hostility.

"Hearing about the two young guys who were stabbed was horrible but not surprising.

"In the end we didn't see any trouble around the ground once we got to Naples, and the checks were all efficient.

"We were kept behind for over an hour after the game, and big groups of ultras stayed in their stand to try to intimidate us, so we felt at risk.

"Once we headed towards the designated buses after leaving the ground, the police completely disappeared, and we were packed on.

The doors were open doors and we had no protection when it felt like we might need it - that was really sketchy.

Jude Aston, 21, Aston Villa fan in Istanbul, Turkey: "I am a wheelchair user, and although we were warned by Villa about what conditions would be like, it was still worse than I expected.

"Once we were in the ground, us disabled supporters had to sit inside a cage in front of the away end. It had thick bars and some wiring that meant I could hardly see any of the goal at the end of the pitch in front of me.

"The cage was locked for most of the match, and I was the furthest one along - I couldn't get out to use the toilet until half time and I don't know what I would have done if there was a fire or something. I felt quite claustrophobic. It was unsettling.

"My personal assistant was separated from me, outside the cage, and I was worried about my phone dying in an emergency because I wasn't allowed to take a power bank in.

I know in theory the cage is for our safety from home fans, getting to and from the stadium was efficient, and the police and stewards were very friendly, but it's 2026 - there has to be a better way than this.

Jane Boland, 61, Liverpool fan in Marseille, France: "The riot police made entering and exiting the stadium really hard work. After being told to arrive at a designated meeting point more than four hours before kick off, we were held in overcrowded areas and made to wait for ages, sometimes with difficult or no toilet access.

"Leaving the stadium took over two hours after full time - by far the longest I've ever experienced. We were stood packed on stairwells for what felt like forever, and I had awful back pain afterwards. I understand that someone passed out and needed medical attention, and in retrospect I'm surprised it was only one.

"After two days of everything being great and nothing but friendly interaction between the two sets of fans, we were treated like cattle.

I probably spent about £1000 on the trip, most of that in Marseille itself, so it smarts to be treated so badly as a 'customer'.

Sue Fox, 68, Spurs fan in Frankfurt, Germany: "Transport was pretty efficient, overall. The meeting point was well organised and the police gave clear instructions.

"Then we took a train and they marched us through a very dark, muddy forest for about half an hour. When we arrived at the ground the gates were locked so we had to queue for an hour, and we were all packed very close together. It was uncomfortable and inappropriate.

"The men were able to go to the toilet in the bushes, but what were we supposed to do? It was nearly two hours without being able to go.

Inside, the only women's toilet was in the home end, so we had to use the one there, which felt wrong and had the potential to be unsafe.

Dylan White, 21, Arsenal fan in Milan, Italy: "On the way to the stadium we had to wait in big, tight queues for the designated metro for a long time, and then got packed on like sardines.

"Outside the ground, some extremely thorough ticket checks meant we were in very tight queues again, which got tighter and tighter because the entry gates were locked until 20 minutes before kick off.

"Finally they let us through and we had to walk up the enormous spirals to enter the ground, just about making it in time for kick off.

"We were out of the San Siro within about half an hour of full time, which we'd have definitely taken, and then people had to go and collect their portable chargers which had been confiscated on the way in.

The police were brilliant with us but the way of getting fans to and then into the ground could do with a lot of work.

Luke Stanley, 22, Man City fan in Bodo, Norway: "The whole experience in and around the stadium was very straightforward and everyone was very friendly - entry was as easy as it could have possibly been.

"We hardly saw any police officers and the ones we did were helpful guiding us.

There were only three toilets in the away end, and there wasn't much food available to buy, but overall treatment was very good.

A number of negatives experienced by fans - including inadequate facilities for fans with disabilities, restricted access to toilets, and travel bans - break Uefa's own rules and guidelines.

Supporters with disabilities can face particularly grim scenarios.

"It is absolute fury and frustration [seeing the cages for wheelchairs users]," says Owain Davies, chief executive of Level Playing Field, which campaigns on behalf of sports fans with disabilities.

"This is not an isolated incident. We've had stories of disabled fans being carried into stadiums, or changing on urine-soaked floors. In one of our surveys, 79% of fans said they had been made to sit in home sections on European trips, potentially opening them up to abuse.

"It really is heart-breaking to see this inequality in a huge tournament run by Uefa. It is an attack on dignity.

Uefa published its accessibility guidelines 16 months ago - it is well within their gift to make clubs change things. What is missing is them enforcing it.

The practice of regional police forces banning away fans from even attending some matches has become more common in recent years, particularly in France, Italy and the Netherlands.

Last autumn Maccabi Tel-Aviv supporters were banned by West Midlands Police from attending their club's fixture against Aston Villa, a rare instance of a travel ban in England.

In some cases where fans are allowed to travel, they are banned from visiting the centre of the host city. This happened to Marseille fans in Bruges and Juventus fans in Nice for their trip to Monaco earlier this week, with the announcements made only days before the matches took place.

"Away travel bans are a good example of a country saying, 'sorry, we can't organise this game in an acceptable way'," Evain said.

If that is the case, there should be a response from the tournament organiser - whether it be moving the match, or not allowing the home club to compete.

BBC Sport put questions about the issues raised by fans to Uefa.

Uefa said: "We have, in recent years, considerably strengthened our partnerships with key European stakeholders responsible for safety and security.

"For the first time in the past decade, Uefa has recorded a measurable decline in the proportion of matches affected by incidents, which is an encouraging indicator of progress.

"[Since 2022] we have implemented stronger integrated operational planning and increased safety and security deployment at finals.

The competent local authorities retain their legal powers and the final decision-making authority for safety and security measures at matches taking place on their territory.

On disability access, they said: "Uefa is fully committed to ensuring a barrier‑free and inclusive matchday experience for disabled supporters.

While we recognise that challenges persist and that improvements are needed in some contexts, accessibility remains an integral part of our commitment to safe, inclusive and welcoming football environments.

Regarding travel bans, they said: "Although things cannot change overnight, all stakeholders have expressed a strong commitment to close cooperation in the search for sustainable solutions."

Supporters commonly told the BBC that issues with organisation and the authorities occurred more often than risks posed by rival fans.

So why is a downward spiral in standards seemingly happening?

"The political atmosphere at the moment in Europe doesn't really help when it comes to police accountability," Evain says.

"We see a number of governments wanting to show muscle, and football fans are an easy target.

The British clubs are often in a better position compared to fans from other countries because there are very good UK police delegations who travel with fans to away matches, and the clubs are well organised with pre-match security visits and bring a high number of their own staff.

The final report into the 2022 fiasco, commissioned by Uefa and compiled by a panel of independent experts, found Uefa primarily at fault and made a series of recommendations to improve fan safety at matches, including Uefa taking more responsibility for security in their role as the event organiser.

"I am deeply concerned by the lack of tangible reforms since our report," says Clifford Stott, professor of social psychology at Keele University and one of the authors of the report.

"Uefa's response to our findings was limited to formal statements, with no substantive follow-ups or evidence of implemented changes.

The safety and security of future events remain at risk.

Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare

Source: BBC
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