Before the Euro 2024 opening match between England and Serbia at 2:00 a.m. on June 17, two groups of fans of the two teams had a serious fight in the city of Gelsenkirchen (Germany).

English and Serbian fans fight before the match – Photo: Screenshot

The specter of violence has cast a shadow over Europe’s largest football festival. Two groups of enthusiastic fans of England and Serbia rushed into a fight. The incident began when a group of fans from one of the two teams attacked the other side with bottles, before throwing chairs and overturning tables.

The incident between English and Serbian fans happened right after German police shot a man holding an ax and a fire bomb, threatening the security of Euro 2024 .

Police shot an ax-wielding man before the match between Poland and the Netherlands at Euro 2024 – Source: NEW YORK POST

German police quickly intervened and controlled the fight . This incident left an English fan seriously injured and hospitalized.

Sharing about the incident of the home team’s fans, British police said: “We received information that there was a fight in Gelsenkirchen before the match between England and Serbia. German colleagues arrested those who attacked Serbian fans. At this time, we only know that investigations are still ongoing.”

“Our investigation team is reviewing footage of the incident and if any British citizens are involved, a football ban will be imposed on them,” a British police representative said.

Serbian fans are famous for violent incidents – Photo: REUTERS

Before the match, English fans received many warnings about Serbian Hooligans. But unfortunately, a serious fight still occurred.

This serious incident continues to make the security situation of Euro 2024 more urgent.