England fans caught in Gelsenkirchen chaos call ‘worst experience ever’

GELSENKIRCHEN — England fans caught in travel chaos after Euro 2024 match against Serbia have said so I it was “by far the worst” experience they had in a match against England.

I can document in detail, from the stories of those involved, how the dangerous “carnage” unfolded throughout the night after fans left the Arena AufSchalke stadium at 11 p.m.

Leaving the stadium after England’s narrow victory in the first group match, fans were forced into multiple traffic jams on a grass path, with inadequate lighting, which became slippery in the rain.

“Everyone was sent onto public transport through a door about seven feet wide,” said Sam Shethran, an England fan at the match. I.

“The queue was 10 to 12 people long, it had rained all day, it was wet, dark, at one point the slope was going down, the children were slipping. It was a little brighter where the trams were, but that’s where the real carnage happened. It was heavy.

Supporters, I was informed, asked the authorities for alternative ways to return to the city center, but were told that they would have to wait for the trams and buses.

However, following a logistical error, trams and buses arrived at the stadium stop already full of fans who had watched the match in the fan zone set up at a racecourse three kilometers away.

Around 62,000 fans attended the match at the stadium, with tens of thousands more reportedly watching the match on the big screen in the supporters’ park.

Seeing the queues, which numbered in the tens of thousands, Shethran decided to walk the 7.2 km to Gelsenkirchen Central Station. Others had a similar idea, but found themselves stuck in a queuing system for public transportation.

Many were forced to overcome barriers to cross the two-lane Kurt-Schumacher-Strasse road and reach a path back on foot.

“People were crossing the barriers on the main road to get to the other side and walk,” Shethran added.

“There were no signs or directions. People were crossing the two-lane road – old men, children. It was chaotic.

In some cases, those who stayed behind to wait for public transportation waited in line for more than three hours in the rain. Others who tried to order taxis, through Uber or local companies, were offered double or higher rates.

Supporters who tried to walk to other locations to take public transportation said they were directed by authorities to stations where trams did not stop.

Accommodation was limited in Gelsenkirchen and the majority of supporters had booked hotels and Airbnbs in other cities, necessitating continuing trains from the main station in the city center to places like Essen, Cologne, Frankfurt and Munich.

But after reaching the city center, far from escaping the chaos, the chaos continued.

Many fans were staying in Essen, a city just six miles away, reachable in an eight-minute train ride. At the station, which quickly became crowded, several supporters said they did not see any signs indicating which platform to take the train from.

At one point, an announcement from Tannoy directed fans to Platform 8, so fans flocked there in numbers, eager to escape. There was no indication on the train that it was heading to Essen, so a group checked with a train official in a red jacket, who told them it was the correct train. However, when someone else checked with another official, they were told it was the train on platform 7.

“I heard from one fan who didn’t come down and check,” Shethran, 40, says. “I know a fan who ended up in Wesel before coming down.” Wesel is 48 km from Essen.

Other fans trying to reach Düsseldorf said four different platforms had been announced for their train – all of which were false.

Children were reduced to tears as their parents tried to overcome the turmoil.

UEFA had pledged to make Euro 2024 the most environmentally friendly European championship in history and, to a large extent, had encouraged its supporters not to drive and use trains and other public transport. But after four days of matches, there were numerous complaints about tournament logistics, including trains experiencing hours-long delays.

In Munich, where Scottish fans turned out in large numbers for the tournament’s opening match against hosts Germany, the supporters’ park had to close due to overcrowding and the U-Bahn stopped.

“This is by far the worst experience of an England match that I have been to,” said Shethran, who has attended most of England’s home and away matches for over over a decade, including European Championships and World Cups.

“People complain about France 2016, with tight security and big queues, but it’s worse here. Ironically there weren’t as many checks for tickets and bags, getting in was quite difficult, but the problem was leaving.

“If we win the group, we will be back in Gelsenkirchen for the round of 16. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen again. I’m told that the stadium in Frankfurt, where England play Denmark, is in the middle of nowhere, everyone is worried about that. It is similar to Gelsenkirchen in this respect. How bad is this going to be? »

He added: “Everyone is disappointed. Everyone expected German efficiency and they are shocked. People are surprised that this hasn’t been legislated for the number of people here. »

A statement from the Deutsche Bahn railway company insists that “according to the Gelsenkirchen police, the departure of the supporters took place orderly and without incident. Due to the large flow of visitors, there were significant delays. Thanks to the calm behavior of the spectators, there were no serious problems in these areas, according to the final police report.

He adds: “Football fans know that as soon as the referee blows the whistle, everyone goes home. There may be people on the platform. As an important partner in local transport, DB is in close contact with authorities, municipal transport companies and the state to analyze processes and improve them wherever possible.

UEFA has been contacted for comment.