As many as eight English fans have been arrested in Munich for creating a ruckus ahead of the Nations League clash against Germany. Three were arrested for making a Nazi salute, while one fan let off the pyrotechnic flare in the hotel room, causing estimated damage of €2,000. Two more people were arrested for shouting at police officers, and another fan was caught urinating in public.
Performing the Nazi salute in Germany is a punishable offence, with a provision of imprisonment for up to three years. Since they were traveling fans, they may escape with just hefty fines. As per some reports, Millwall Berserkers, a notorious fan group known for their hooliganism, were in the city, and some of the members were displaying anti-Semitic posters.
The visitors were also heard chanting offensive songs about Germany’s loss in World War II, singing “Ten German Bombers” in the local pubs. Some fans even taunted Scotland for failing to qualify for the World Cups by singing “No surrender to IRA”.
“You’re embarrassed when you hear about it, because you know it’s a representation of your country, in the same way there’s been a brilliant representation of that across the world in the last couple of days [with the Jubilee celebrations],” Gareth Southgate said about the incident. “We can only give the correct messages, then you’ve got to rely on people behaving.
As far as the game is concerned, Harry Kane’s clean strike from the spot helped England salvage a much-needed draw. With two minutes remaining, Kane was dragged down by Nico Schlotterbeck in the 18-yard box, and the VAR convinced the referee Carlos del Cerro Grande to award a penalty.
However, on subsequent replays, it did feel like Kane went down rather too easily. Moreover, Kane appeared to be in the offside position before a deflection from a German defender sent the ball into his path. Fans were divided on this, as some pointed out that it was a deliberate play from the defender, thus he can’t be offside.
With this goal, Kane became only the second English player to score 50 international goals, after Wayne Rooney. With two more matches yet to be played, he may well surpass Rooney’s record of 53 goals next week itself.
Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports
