A TORY minister has hit out at the Euros after it was revealed England fans will not be served full-strength beer during their opening match against Serbia.
It comes amid concerns about potential conflict between England fans and Serbian fans at the 62,000-seater Veltins Arena in the German city of Gelsenkirchen.
The German tabloid Bild has warned that around 500 pro-Putin Serbian fans are due to attend the match on Sunday, with police increasing the security status of the clash from “high” to “very high”.
Violence from England fans outside Wembley stadium during the team’s Euros 2020 final against Italy also has police on high alert, with a spokesperson stating that they will “receive support from Serbian and English colleagues, who know high-risk individuals and can identify them on site”.
READ MORE: Euro 2024: The National launches charity sweepstake for summer tournament
In an attempt to quell tensions, organisers have decided that no full-strength beer will be served at the game.
Instead of the regular 4.8 per cent beverage being served, fans will only be able to purchase the 2.5 per cent “Radler-style” beer, which is half lager and half lemonade.
They will also only be permitted to buy two beers at once.
A spokesperson for the Gelsenkirchen police, Stephan Knipp, confirmed that these measures would not be in place for other matches at Veltins Arena.
“It is just the England game which will have the low-strength beer,” he told The Sun.
“The other games at the stadium will have 4.8 per cent.”
But policing minister and Tory candidate Chris Philp (above) claimed security officials were picking on England fans.
“If England fans have somehow been picked out or singled out and served watered-down beer based on their nationality, that sounds to me completely unfair,” he said.
“And probably discriminatory – we should not be getting picked on in that way.”
There are also concern that both Scotland and England fans could fall foul of Germany’s strict anti-counterfeit laws if they are spotted wearing fake football shirts.
Police are able to enforce fines of up to £4260 if caught wearing knock-off merchandise.
However, it is unclear whether police intend to enforce the law during the tournament.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel