About 100 people stormed and started a brawl at a London pub prior to the England and Germany match on Monday, according to Metropolitan Police. Although some of the group donned England gear, it is suspected that the attackers were German fans.
“At 17:50 on Monday, 26 September, a group of approximately 100 males, many wearing masks, approached a pub in Dagmar Avenue, Wembley through an alley leading towards the car park,” read a police statement on the ordeal.
“While a number of the group were wearing England hats and scarves, it is believed they were German ‘fans,'” the statement continued. “The group entered the beer garden of the pub and began assaulting customers, most of whom were in the area to attend the England vs Germany match. Punches and projectiles including traffic cones were thrown.”
“Officers responded and the group fled. The disorder lasted for around two minutes.”
A brawl prior to England hosted Germany
The Daily Mail has suggested that a portion of the attackers even wielded machetes and brass knuckles. Police did not confirm this report, but did say that there were obviously multiple injuries at the scene. Three pub patrons suffered fairly severe injuries to their extremities. Others were treated for facial wounds, but it does not appear that there were any life-threatening incidents. The total number of accounted injuries is five patrons.
Despite the amount of people involved in the fight, there were only four arrests made in the area.
The pub in question is apparently regularly frequented by families. The Green Man is located less than a mile from Wembley Stadium, where the match was played. Reports surfaced just last week that soccer-related crime is up nearly 60% in England and Wales. Though this particular incident did not occur inside a stadium, violence is a worrying trend at soccer functions.
England and Germany played out to a thrilling 3-3 draw in the game. The Germans went out to a 2-0 lead into the second half before Gareth Southgate’s team scored three consecutive goals. Kai Havertz, however, netted in the 87th minute to share the points.
PHOTO: IMAGO / Matthias Koch
