An England fan and a police officer were left with head injuries on Sunday (Jun 16) after hooligans attacked a bar where Serbia supporters were drinking before their team’s Euro 2024 opening match against the Three Lions, scheduled for later in the evening. 

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Pictures of the English fan with a bloodied head in the German city of Gelsenkirchen went viral on social media while video clips showed the two factions fighting each other by hurling tables, chairs and other objects. 

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According to a report in the Guardian, the incident took place shortly after 3:30 pm local time where Serbian fans, outside the bar were targeted with projectiles. Other media reports claimed that Serbia’s arch-rivals Albania and its hooded supporters launched the attack, claiming to be English fans. 

The perpetrators of the violence fled the scene as soon as about 200 German riot police arrived.

The unfortunate incident took place despite security being heightened after intel reports indicated that a squad of 500 Serbian hooligans might attempt to engage in a violent confrontation with the English supporters.

As many as 40,000 English fans are expected to have arrived in the city for the match while between 5,000 to 8,000 Serbian supporters have also made the journey for the match which will be played at the Veltins Arena – home to Bundesliga 2 club Schalke. 

Axe-wielding attacker shot

Earlier in the day, an axe-wielding man was shot by the German police in the Reeperbahn district of Hamburg before the Netherlands vs Poland match. 

The area where almost 40,000 Dutch fans had gathered was subsequently cleared around 12:30 p.m. CET (6:30 am ET) before the security agencies shot the attacker.

Police said the man was also carrying an incendiary device, probably some kind of Molotov cocktail. The media reports said police used pepper spray against the attacker before deploying a firearm. 

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