A worse-for-wear England fan woke up cold and confused in an empty stadium hours after the end of his team's Euro 2024 clash with Serbia, according to a video on social media.
"I've just woken up. It's four o'clock in the morning," the unidentified fan says in the video showing rows of empty seats behind him at the stadium in Gelsenkirchen where England won 1-0 in their opening game on Sunday night.
The video, viewed hundreds of thousands of times, prompted laughter among fellow England supporters, though some questioned how security had missed the snoozing fan and also why the lights were still on in the early hours at the stadium.
"This is what happens when you watch sleepy Southgate ball!" quipped one poster, referring to coach Gareth Southgate's team's less than scintillating second half performance.
Another one said, “Just one beer too many.”
On the other hand, UEFA filed one disciplinary charge and opened a separate investigation into alleged discrimination by Serbia fans at the European Championship game against England.
The details were not specified by UEFA on Monday but followed a formal complaint by the soccer federation of Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 that its neighbor has never recognized.
UEFA’s disciplinary panel will consider a charge against Serbia of its fans "transmitting a provocative message unfit for a sports event” and throwing objects during England’s 1-0 win on Sunday at Gelsenkirchen.
Serbia fans displayed a national flag which included in its borders the territory of Kosovo, its former republic.
Agencies