England fans told to cycle to 'worst stadium' at Euro 2024 (2024)

FRANKFURT — The last time England played in Frankfurt it was the 2006 World Cup and three points against Paraguay wasn’t the only thing that was stolen.

A turgid match, under manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, was won only by an own goal in the third minute, providing a lead that was clung to throughout the second half.

England fans had turned up in swathes — 100,000 by some estimates — taking over the Romerberg in the city centre, where the famous Fountain of Justice is found, at its centre the bronze statue of Justitia, the champion of justice who holds a sword in one hand and scales in another. Fans climbed the statue and decorated her in St George’s flags, before setting off for the Waldstadion for the match.

It wasn’t until officials took down the flags sometime later that they realised her sword had been stolen — a large model RAF fighter plane placed in her hand instead, hidden by the red and white.

When they made enquiries, an England fan representative told them: “You’ll never see that sword again.” And they were right: despite an investigation, it was never found.

Officials have considered erecting a barrier around the fountain ahead of England’s game against Denmark to protect it, but decided against the idea, Jana Kremin, a spokeswoman for the department of culture, told German publication hessenschau.

But she warned that action will be taken against any offences. “Vandalism is not a trivial offence,” she said.

The Justitia statue is a hotspot for photo opportunities for tourists and Frankfurt wants to be seen as an open and welcoming city. Whether or not it is remembered in such a way remains to be seen.

That area, in particular, feels like the perfect place for England fans to congregate in significant numbers, as they did in 2006. Bathing in the fountain water, climbing the statue and chanting about “Ten German Bombers” will not be as tolerated as it was 18 years ago.

And after the travel chaos that proceeded England’s game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen fans have already noticed that the Waldstadion could pose similar issues.

Uefa has urged fans to leave early to reach the ground in time for the 6pm — local time — kick-off. “Due to traffic, it may take significantly longer than expected to get to the stadium,” official guidance states. “Make sure you set off early and allow yourself enough time.”

Like with all Euro 2024 stadiums, Uefa is actively telling fans not to drive as part of its initiative to make this the most environmentally sustainable European Championship ever.

But that has come with perhaps unforeseen problems.

Fans driving to grounds eases some of the pressure on public transport networks, and England fans experienced first-hand what the knock-on effect of that can be. i reported a detailed account of the “carnage” when fans left the Arena AufSchalke at 11pm following the victory against Serbia on Sunday, some waiting in queues for over three hours to catch trams and buses back to the city centre, supporters directed onto the wrong trains for onward journeys, dangerous overcrowding.

Frankfurt’s Waldstadion is around four miles away from the city centre, and the main access to the stadium is via trams, buses and trains.

Uefa has even recommended that fans consider travelling via bike, pointing out there are cycle paths from Oberforsthauskreisel — one along the Mörfelder Landstraße and another following the Flughafenstraße to reach different parts of the ground, taking around 20 minutes.

Taxis are an option, but Uefa are not recommending them as a means to travel to the stadium. Only official taxis are allowed access to the stadium, and that “to ensure safety, other means of transport, such as ridesharing, are not permitted”. Again, this has the potential to cause difficulties for supporters who try to order Ubers to avoid queues.

Extra transport is being put on after the game, including S-Bahns, regional trains, trams and buses, with services running until 1am, with an extra night service provided until 4.30am, when normal service will resume.

Is Frankfurt prepared for what is to come? Are fans prepared for what is coming? The city itself has been savaged by German media.

In the Frankfurter Neue Presse it is reported as the worst-ranked of the 10 host cities, with a score of 5.95 out of 10. “Frankfurt has the worst rating for public transport and hotel prices,” it states.

Bild, the hugely popular German tabloid, absolutely eviscerated the city in a column by Stefan Schlagenhauer this week. The headline reads: “Germany must be ashamed of this city!”

It claims that on the day of Belgium’s game against Slovenia, Belgian police warned: “Consuming hard drugs on the street is normal. Passers-by are harassed, drug users demand money. Foreign media are describing the area as a zombie land, and that is exactly what it is. It is not safe there!”

The station district, where thousands of England fans will arrive on Thursday, is described as “the worst drug hell in Europe”. It is, according to the article, full of around 300 drug dealers and thousands of people openly injecting and smoking drugs.

“What is currently happening in the Bahnhofsviertel is a disgrace for this rich city!” Peter Postleb, a security expert and former adviser to the city mayor, said. “Those responsible in the Romer have allowed the district to deteriorate for years!”

Any fans who were there in 2006 and will return again on Thursday will find a vastly different place.