EURO 2024: English Soccer Fans Allowed Weed, But No Booze
The heat is on with the start of the UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany this weekend. Twenty four national teams will start matches in six groups and try to progress to the finals of the 17th edition of the European championship in football. In anticipation of England's first game on Sunday, German police have issued a warning for fans saying that instead of drinking booze they can smoke cannabis and keep calm.
Three Lions supporters are notoriously known for their unruly behavior. Around 40,000 fans of the English national football team will head to Gelsenkirchen this weekend, where England is meeting Serbia in the opening match of the group C of Euro 2024.
German security services have reportedly launched a large operation aimed at stopping hooliganism, with English fans being warned against chanting offensively during the match.
In another bid from organizers to minimize the chances of any unrest or disorder, the Veltins Arena where the match is scheduled to take place on Sunday (June 16) will only serve low percentage alcohol beer.
Better Smoke Weed Than Drink Booze, Police Says
Most interestingly, a spokesperson for the Gelsenkirchen police team reportedly told The Sun that Three Lions supporters will be allowed to smoke pot in peace.
“It’s no problem for fans to smoke cannabis on the street,” the spokesperson said.
“If we see a group of people drinking alcohol and looking a bit aggressive, and another group smoking cannabis, of course we’ll look at the group drinking alcohol,” the police officer told the British tabloid.
“Drinking alcohol can make someone more aggressive, and smoking cannabis puts people in a chill mood,” he said.
Germany joined the cannabis world stage after enforcing legalization on April 1 this year. While cannabis is legal for personal use, it is still not available in commercial use.
Euro 2024 insiders believe that the match between England and Serbia is a particularly high-risk match, hence the warnings. Fans on both sides have a known history of violent behavior.
The fear of unrest is all the more real knowing that hundreds of Putin-supporting Serbian ultras are expected to attend Sunday's game, according to intelligence reports.
“Serbia has many hooligans. The English guys, with alcohol, they are very aggressive. So it’s a great job to do this, to prepare, so that hopefully nothing will happen,” the spokesperson added.
While football fans can use public areas to smoke weed, they will not be permitted to smoke inside any of the sport venues or fan zones. In addition, bars located in “sensitive areas” of the city will refrain from serving booze immediately before and after the game.
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Stephen Andrews
