New footage has emerged of an England fan appearing to lead the chants of ’10 German bombers’ in the streets of Dusseldorf ahead of the Three Lions’ clash with Serbia tonight.
The tattooed lout wears a replica England away shirt – which retails at £85 – as he sits on someone’s shoulders holding an inflatable RAF Lancaster toy in one hand and a bottle of lager in the other.
He raises his arms aloft and smiles as he encourages the crowd to clap to the chant as he chucks the plane at another fan before enthusiastically fist pumping the air as he continues to sing the derogatory song.
‘Ten German bombers’ – sung to the tune of ‘If You’re Happy and You Know It’ – refers to German casualties in the Second World War.
It comes after German police warned supporters ‘don’t be a d***!’ while the FA wrote a hardline letter saying fans risk having their tickets taken away if they fail to behave appropriately.
Do you know the man in the video? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk
New footage has emerged of the England ‘ringleader’ who led the chants of ’10 German bombers’ in the streets of Dusseldorf
The tattooed-lout wears an England away replica shirt as he sits on someone’s shoulders holding an inflatable RAF Lancaster toy in one hand and a bottle of lager in the other
He raises his arms aloft and smiles as he chucks the plane at another fan before fist pumping the air as he continues to sing the derogatory song
The song has regularly been heard at England matches, including their recent 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday night.
There are fears that it could be frequently heard at the Euros and despite the warning of German authorities, they are powerless to stop it.
According to The Telegraph, chief of police Peter Both said: ‘That’s what I would say to them: Don’t be a d***. If they sing a song like this, I can’t change it.
‘It’s not punishable in Germany. I hope that all the other peaceful and law-abiding fans say to them: “Stop it”.
‘I know, and all people in Germany know, there is a long-lasting sporting rivalry between England and Germany. But it’s important for me to say it’s only a sporting one.
‘Our countries have been, and remain, allies for over seven decades.’
The footage also prompted the FA to write to the England Supporters Travel Club, according to the i, making it clear that ‘any unacceptable behaviour whilst following England may result in… withdrawal of future match tickets (including during the tournament)’.
The letter added: ‘The FA will not tolerate any excessive behaviour and will always investigate reports of inappropriate behaviour with the utmost urgency,” the communication says.
‘Members are ambassadors for the England team and should act in such a way that will continue to enhance the image of English supporters and the national side on the world stage.’
The FA will have their own security and stewards at all of England’s fixtures over the coming days, and insist they will look to clamp down on any fans that misbehave in Germany.
England fans have been warned they could have their tickets confiscated if they misbehave at Euro 2024
The FA – headed by CEO Mark Bullingham (pictured) – have told supporters that ‘unacceptable behaviour’ will not be tolerated
German police have asked England fans not to sing ’10 German Bombers’ during the Euros
Chief of police Peter Both admitted that police will be powerless to arrest supporters singing the chant however have urged Three Lions fans not to ‘be a d***’ during the competition
Tensions are already high ahead of the Group C clash in Gelsenkirchen with it feared 500 hardcore Serbian ultras could target the English (Pictured: Red Star Belgrade fans at the Rajko Mitic on May 13 in a match against FK Radnički 1923)
Red Star Belgrade fans at the Rajko Mitic on May 13 in a match against FK Radnički 1923
Tensions are already high ahead of the Group C clash in Gelsenkirchen with it feared 500 hardcore Serbian ultras could target the English in the western German city.
Police have marked the tie as ‘high-risk’ due to be the only match at the tournament where low-alcohol beer is served in a bid to prevent trouble.
German police have been working with authorities from London and Belgrade to try to avoid ugly scenes in the areas around the stadium and during the game itself.
Mr Both told The Guardian that officers in the country did not have ‘concrete intelligence, concrete information’ at this stage.
But they believe ‘up to 400 or 500 violence-seeking Serbian hooligans will travel to Germany, but we don’t know it exactly and so that’s our problem at the moment’.
He added: ‘I guess the biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans.’
Do you know the man in the video? Email matt.strudwick@mailonline.co.uk
