Comedian Frank Skinner has shared the “terrifying” experience of taking his son to a major sporting event.
Frank chose to bring his son Buzz to the postponed Euro 2020 final at Wembley, where England faced Italy. The 67-year-old is a beloved figure among fans due to his 1996 hit Three Lions with David Baddiel and the Lightning Seeds.
However, as they walked from their car to Wembley Stadium – along with former Spice Girl Mel C – Frank recounts how England supporters “literally kicked a wall down” to breach the gates. It’s estimated that around 2,000 fans without tickets managed to enter Wembley during the final in July 2021, reports the Mirror.
Recounting the “terrifying” incident on the Parenting Hell podcast with Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett, Frank said: “I took Buzz to the finals of the Euros at Wembley, the one where we lost to Italy. When we arrived we were dropped at the VIP entrance and just as we were getting out of the car, Mel C was getting out at the same time.”
(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
“There was me, Buzz and Mel C walking along this thing when suddenly the wall literally caved in and all these blokes with no shirts on and England tattoos just kicked the wall in.”
He quipped: “It was that terrible moment that we all fear, I think, when the masses cross the velvet rope.”
“I think this is how Marie Antoinette must have felt when the French Revolution started. It was terrifying, these blokes just literally kicked a wall down and then broke into Wembley.”
Josh quipped: “I’d say a perfect end to the Frank Skinner story would be dying at the Euros final with a Spice Girl. It would tie it up nicely.”
(Image: PA Archive/PA Images)
The Three Lions’ dreams were dashed by Italy in a nail-biting penalty shootout after Leonardo Bonucci levelled the score, following Luke Shaw’s initial stunner. But the match was overshadowed by the disgraceful behaviour of fans outside Wembley, which independent reviewer Lady Louise Casey slammed as a “national day of shame”.
She blasted the mob as “a horde of ticketless, drunken and drugged up thugs”.
A shocking 17 major security breaches were reported, including storming through disabled entrances, with a mere 400 – just a quarter – of the ticketless fans being booted out.
In December, Football Association bigwig Mark Bullingham admitted: “We fully accept the report’s findings and there are important learnings for us, as well as other agencies involved.”
“Collectively we must never allow this to happen again. The lessons learned from this review will ensure that fans have a good experience at major international events at Wembley, as they have for many years.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
