THE World Health Organisation has condemned the sight of more than 60,000 spectators at last night's Euro 2020 final in Wembley as "devastating".
In unusually forthright comments from the WHO which usually refrains from remarking on the policies of individual member states, its Covid-19 technical lead
Maria Van Kerkhove hit out at the scenes which saw fans crowded into the stands at the London stadium.
"Am I supposed to be enjoying watching transmission happening in front of my eyes?" she tweeted in the late stages of the match which saw Italy defeat England.
"The Covi-19 pandemic is not taking a break tonight ... #SARSCoV2 #DeltaVariant will take advantage of unvaccinated people, in crowded settings, unmasked, screaming/shouting/singing. Devastating."
In addition to the 60,000 spectators with tickets, groups of England fans without tickets forced their way through the Wembley turnstiles before the final against Italy.
Supporters breached security barriers outside the stadium and squeezed behind ticket-holders or burst through the electronic gates that allow entry to the concourses and seats.
Witnesses said the numbers may have been in the hundreds. There were unconfirmed reports that hundreds of fans charged a disabled entrance door when it opened.
Reports have also emerged of one supporter left stuck outside after he scanned his ticket and fans without one pushed through the turnstile instead.
Other ticketless fans were seen trying to persuade supporters with tickets to allow them to squeeze in.
About two hours before kick-off hundreds of fans were filmed breaching a gate and running up steps towards the stadium. Stewards and police sought to hold back supporters as they pushed through barriers.
A Wembley Stadium spokesperson said “safety measures were quickly activated in the relevant areas there were no security breaches of people without tickets getting inside the stadium” but a later statement was issued which acknowledged this was not the case.
The statement said: “There was a breach of security and a small group of people got into the stadium.
"We are now working closely with stadium stewards and security to remove these people. Anyone inside the stadium without a ticket will be instantly ejected.”
The scenes at Wembley come as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to announce at a press conference later today that all Covid restrictions are to be lifted in England, including the compulsory use of face masks on public transport and in shops.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said last week England will be entering “uncharted territory” in its wholesale scrapping of Covid lockdown rules and infection numbers could easily rise above 100,000 a day over the summer.
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