Around 20,000 Scotland fans head to London to witness England rivalry
‘We hate England’: Around 20,000 Scotland fans defy official advice and descend on London without match tickets as the Tartan Army pack out Hyde Park and Leicester Park before a lucky few head to Wembley to watch a well-earned draw
- ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ and ‘No Scotland, No Party!’ rang around London
- Hyde Park and Leicester Square were taken over by the Tartan Army
- The atmosphere spiced up noticeably on Thursday after two arrests overnight
- Nicola Sturgeon has been criticised for not condemning the travelling fans
- Flower of Scotland was belted out with gusto at England’s national stadium
- The visiting contingent were ecstatic as Scotland claimed a well-earned draw
- Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here
It always seemed optimistic for the Metropolitan Police to be relying on a dodgy weather forecast to repel the Tartan Army.
‘This is barbecue weather in Aberdeen!’ joked one Scotland fan, already soaked to the skin by a combination of rain and beer before midday outside King’s Cross station.
If a global pandemic that has claimed almost 130,000 lives in this country alone and the infinitesimal chance of securing a match ticket were not enough to deter the invading hordes, the prospect of inclement weather was not going to send them packing back up the A1 either.
Scotland fans painted London blue ahead of their pivotal Euro 2020 clash with England
Some travelling supporters got a bit over-excited as the Tartan Army packed out Hyde Park
Judging by the cacophony to be heard throughout the capital all day, ‘No Scotland, No Party!’ appeared to be jostling with ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ for the status of the travelling fans’ official anthem. After a 25-year wait for a major tournament, they were understandably determined to enjoy it.
The early arrivals among the estimated 20,000 who made the journey south enjoyed the best of the conditions on Thursday evening, creating a mini-festival vibe in Hyde Park which by mid-morning yesterday resembled a rather more famous festival venue — the Glastonbury mud-bath.
A few of the more jaded Scotland supporters were joking that Steve Clarke’s side would be better off playing England in such boggy conditions that were a throwback to their 1970s glory days, rather than on Wembley’s perfectly manicured lawn, but the youngsters were not having such cynicism.
Others of a more territorial bent headed to Leicester Square Gardens where they took control of the William Shakespeare Fountain, a piece of flag-planting that may or may not have been the result of their keen understanding of a nation’s footballing history.
The marble statue of Shakespeare from Italian sculptor Giovanni Fontana has been in place since 1874, the year of Scotland’s first victory against England at the third attempt — an optimist’s omen for last night.
Following the obligatory conga around the fountain it was then filled with bubbles and a few well-oiled Scotland fans, at which point the police gently moved them on.
The William Shakespeare Fountain turned into a bubble bath as fans enjoyed themselves
With the weather having failed to do the police’s work for them by Thursday evening, the Met fell back on more orthodox crowd-management techniques, issuing a 48-hour section 35 dispersal order which permitted officers to break up gatherings where there was evidence of anti-social behaviour.
While Thursday evening passed off relatively peacefully with only two arrests across London, a full night of drinking and the arrival of more reinforcements on packed trains into the capital spiced up the atmosphere considerably. By 10am yesterday police were being heckled at King’s Cross.
The policing remained good natured, however, with officers remarkably tolerant to the inevitable spraying with beer, although some flares were confiscated.
There were 6,000 fans in Leicester Square by midday on Friday as the hours ticked down
By mid-morning, the party appeared to have moved on to Leicester Square, with police estimating that 6,000 fans were in place by midday.
Any unsuspecting tourist choosing to take in an early screening at Cineworld yesterday morning would have received a nasty shock, emerging into a cloud of blue smoke and chants of ‘We’ve got McGinn, Super John McGinn,’ as well as the obligatory ‘We Hate England’.
Presumably the few tourists who had put up with quarantine and/or self-isolation felt differently.
Nicola Sturgeon was criticised for refusing to condemn the travelling Scotland contingent
The Scotland fans had also been told not to travel by their government and the police, although there was considerable criticism of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon yesterday for staying silent in the aftermath of the invasion.
For many, the decision to head south was partly economic, as trains and hotels had already been booked in advance without the prospect of any refund.
‘We paid over £600 for a two-day drip for two of us so we weren’t going to write that off,’ said Dave McClean, who had travelled from Dundee.
There was plenty of nail biting as the underdogs had chances to upset Gareth Southgate’s men
‘I didn’t want to lose that money and we’ve waited so long it was an easy decision. It’s great to be in a football crowd again.’
Having been well refreshed during the afternoon, the biggest issue for the vast majority without tickets as the day wore on was where to watch the game itself, the reason for their expensive trip.
With pub space at a premium due to social distancing restrictions and no big screens available outside the Leicester Square fanzone — an invite-only event for 750 key workers — many appeared prepared to fall back on their mobile phones.
Those who watched at a fanzone at Glasgow were ecstatic about securing a well-earned draw
Some fans who had pre-booked pub spots had also been warned that landlords planned to enforce no singing regulations, which had dimmed their good cheer.
Few without tickets appeared to have bothered making the journey up the Jubilee Line to Wembley Way, where the visitors were clearly outnumbered by England fans, although once inside the ground it was a different story.
Flower of Scotland was belted out with the gusto of more than the 2,800 fans officially present and Saltires were dotted around the stadium suggesting a mass infiltration, while God Save the Queen was almost drowned out by boos.
Supporters who had been granted a precious Wembley ticket couldn’t believe the result
Following a 25-year wait, the Tartan Army could not be accused of failing to make their presence felt.
Come 10pm, the members of the Army were understandably buoyant after securing a 0-0 draw that keeps their tournament hopes alive and they will happily head homeward dreaming that it’s not too long before they are marching on Wembley once again.
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