England and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire said his father was left with rib injuries and struggled to breathe after being trampled by fans during crowd violence at Wembley Stadium before the Euro 2020 final against Italy.
Rival supporters breached security cordons and charged into the perimeter area of Wembley before the start of Sunday’s game and began clashing violently with each other and officials. British police said 19 of its officers were injured while 86 people, including 53 at the venue, were arrested.
“I think he was involved in a stampede and suffered a couple of injuries to his ribs. I spoke to him, he said he was scared,” Maguire told The Sun.
“I don’t want anyone to experience that going to watch football, especially a major final.”
European soccer’s governing body UEFA opened disciplinary proceedings and charged England’s Football Association for disturbances.
The Football Association said on Monday it would conduct a full review into the security breach and condemned the behavior of fans who forced their way into the stadium.
It is estimated that no less than 5,000 supporters gained access to the stadium without a match ticket, with sources telling ESPN that ticket readers stopped working for a period and fans either “tailgated” their way in – quickly following behind those with legitimate tickets – or alternatively broke in through entrances designed for disabled supporters.
In addition to Maguire, other families of players were affected. A group of Italy’s entourage, including the wife of midfielder Jorginho, were moved en masse, while sources told ESPN that the family members of several England players were abused by fans who had forced their way into the arena.