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Wembley officials were left bewildered after three pitch invaders delayed the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund despite the presence of more than 2,500 stewards as part of heightened security measures.
An 18-month operation was launched in a bid to avoid a repeat of the violent scenes that marred the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy, with a heavy police presence at Wembley and across London.
The Metropolitan Police said 53 arrests were made during the final, five related to the pitch invasion and “most others for attempts to breach security”.
It is the nature of the pitch invasion that will raise the most questions. The match had to be stopped just 30 seconds after kick-off when three men made their way onto the pitch, with one attempting to take a selfie with Madrid’s Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham before eventually being sent off.
Another, who eluded security for almost a minute, was eventually apprehended with the help of Dortmund midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, with the fourth invader stopped before he could scale the barriers.
All participants were wearing t-shirts that appear to bear the name of Belarusian streamer Mellstroy. The 25-year-old reportedly offered £300,000 to anyone who ran during the final with his name on their shirt.
The incident caused a two-minute delay in the match, with British broadcaster TNT Sports cutting the live broadcast. An announcement at half-time reminded fans that entering the field of play was an “arrestable offence”.
After the serious mess of the Euro 2020 final – and the 2022 Champions League final in Paris, which was brought to the brink of disaster by organizational failures – officials have promised an unprecedented security operation involving more than 2,500 stewards and a £5m investment in security infrastructure.
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Speaking ahead of Saturday night’s game, the FA’s Tournaments, Events and Stadium Interim Director, Chris Bryant, said: “It is vital that we deliver and do everything we can control to the best of our ability… We are really good place, we’ planned in detail for 18 months.
A Wembley spokesman said last night: “We will support the relevant authorities to ensure that appropriate action is taken.”
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