Has chaos at Wembley during the Euro final ruined the UK and Ireland's 2030 World Cup bid?

FA CEO Mark Bullingham says, overall, the Euro 2020 matches hosted in the UK were a 'success'


There are new fears that hooliganism seen at Wembley stadium during England's Euro 2020 final could ruin the chances of Britain and Ireland's joint 2030 World Cup bid.

Questions have also been raised about the policing of the clash against Italy, with ticketless fans fighting with stewards and pushing through barriers at the stadium before the match.

On Monday night, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted the UK still had a “very good case” to host the 2030 World Cup despite the shocking scenes at Wembley.


ITV News cameras capture the moment security at Wembley is breached ahead of the Euro 2020 final kick off


The FA CEO Mark Bullingham told ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott that despite bad behaviour outside of Wembley, the English FA are suited to host big tournaments in the UK.

Mr Bullingham also said he has had received positive feedback from UEFA and others involved in international football, believing they have done a "brilliant job" at hosting EURO 2020.

He said: "I think the overall feedback we've had from UEFA and everyone else involved in international football is that we, along with the other host countries, have done a brilliant job at hosting a tournament through a pandemic.

"We've had eight games at Wembley which by and large have gone very, very well.

"Of course things on Sunday night were upsetting, but overall in terms of the tournament things have been a success."

England fans outside the ground during the UEFA Euro 2020 Final at Wembley Stadium. Credit: Zac Goodwin/PA

Mr Bullingham also raised further concerns over social media companies not taking responsibility for the racist abuse some England players receive.

He said: "It's appalling and it's unbelievable when you've had a team that's tried so hard and given so much and done their best for their country.

"From our point of view it's incredibly frustrating to still be talking about this.

"These companies need to act, they need to take responsibility for what's being posted on their sites and they need to deal with it. We think they can."


'It's incredibly frustrating to still be talking about this'


He is also calling on the government to act faster: "We also want the government to make sure they're following up with the online harms bill that they've been working on because we feel that legislation is the only way that these companies can be brought to account."

Former West Ham and QPR defender Anton Ferdinand believed England should be barred from hosting another major football tournament until racist abuse and social disorder problems can be eradicated from the game.

"There should be consequences, there definitely should be consequences," he said.

“That’s how people learn. But you’ve got to be willing to learn, that’s the problem.”

Ferdinand has been campaigning against online abuse as part of BT Sport’s Hope United campaign.

The 36-year-old hailed England boss Southgate as the template for anyone looking to learn about social and racial issues.

“Gareth’s a perfect example, of trying to understand and getting to understand a different culture,” said Ferdinand.

Mr Bullingham's comments come as a petition to serve racists with a lifetime ban from football games has gained hundreds of thousands of signatures in less than 24 hours.

At the time of writing, over 700,000 people had signed the petition.