'We run a stadium, not a fortress' - FA vows to ban fans that stormed Wembley for Euro 2020 final

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A number of supporters without tickets were able to gain entry to the stadium on Sunday as England lost to Italy

The Football Association has vowed to ban any supporter found to have attended the Euro 2020 final without a ticket, with groups of fans storming the ground prior to kick-off.

A number were able to gain entry, with ugly scenes marring what was supposed to be a celebratory occasion for a nation starved of international success.

Those that did get in saw the Three Lions suffer more penalty shootout heartache against Italy, prolonging 55 years of hurt, but many may not be allowed to enter a stadium again.

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham told BBC Radio Four's Today programme when quizzed on how security was able to be breached: "We will do a full review and we will work with the police to catch anyone involved and make sure we can prevent it ever happening again.

"Anyone caught will obviously be banned and have the right action taken against them."

Bullingham added on the "drunken yobs" that forced their way into Wembley: "We run a stadium, not a fortress.

"We have got a fantastic security team at the stadium and they had never seen anything like it."

Bullingham also offered his apologies to any supporters that saw their Euro 2020 experience negatively impacted by the actions of a minority.

The Metropolitan Police has revealed that 49 arrests were made on Sunday for a variety of offences.

It has also announced that 19 officers sustained injuries while trying to contain "volatile" crowds.

Gareth Southgate's side are still picking the bones out of what went wrong against Italy, with Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka all missing from the spot following a 1-1 draw.

All of those involved are now heading off on well-deserved breaks before reporting back to pre-season with their respective clubs.

Southgate is expected to remain at the helm, with the 2022 World Cup next in his sights.

Qualifying action for that competition will resume in September, with England's next outing at Wembley set to take place on September 5 when a meeting with Andorra is sandwiched between clashes with Hungary and Poland.

2021-07-12 18:00:04

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