Yahoo Finance Ambulance chiefs say ticketless Scotland fans coming to London for England match are ‘on their radar’
Ambulance chiefs say the possibility of a mass gathering of ticketless Scotlandfans in Hyde Park is “on their radar” amid reports 20,000 are preparing to be in London.
But London Ambulance Service has “no plans” to put extra medics on standby despite concerns that the 8pm Euro 2020 clash with England at Wembley could spark hostilities between both sets of fans after a day of drinking.
A LAS spokeswoman said senior officers would monitor potential flashpoints alongside Met police commanders and urged fans to “drink sensibly”.
It came as Mayor Sadiq Khan made an 11th-hour U-turn as he urged Scottish fans without a ticket for not to travel to the capital. Travelling fans will not be allowed to watch the match on giant screens at Trafalgar Square and City Hall says covid restrictions mean pop-up screens cannot be provided elsewhere.
The “football village” beside City Hall, which also screens matches, will be closed for the first meeting between football’s oldest rivals in four years.
Last month he said he would welcome Scottish fans travelling as it would boost the pandemic-hit economy.
Mr Khan said he was concerned that having fans congregate created a “serious risk” of a spike in covid cases.
He said: “Scottish fans are renowned around the world for bringing a party atmosphere with them to the big tournaments but with COVID restrictions still in place on both sides of the border, the best thing for fans without tickets to the game or a safe place to watch it is to enjoy the game from Scotland and not come to London.
“In an ideal world I would welcome the Tartan Army to London for this match with open arms – but with Covid cases increasing, and with so much at stake as we fight this awful virus, I’m afraid that it just cannot be this time, so the best thing to do is not to come to London and instead enjoy the game at home.”
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