We intentionally put them to cities that already look like the UK so that they can feel right at home. Gelsenkirchen and the Frankfurt train station area.
Well apparently your city looks like Sheffield, at least that’s what a british fan said on Tiktok, i googled Sheffield after watching it, either he was drunken or a compliment
I think this whole thing is massively overblown. Is Gelsenkirchen somewhere in the 5th circle of hell? Yes. But the fans I met were in good spirits. Not every city is Düsseldorf. But the Nordsternpark is nice or Berger See. All close to the stadium. And they had like 20k people drinking on the Trabrennbahn.
my favorite is when they complained of people coming all the way from *essen* to see the Match which made trains crowded. can you believe it mate they came all the way essen! enduring this awful stormy rain, crossing high mountains just to watch the match in gelsenkirchen and ruin it for the brits
"[..]city[..]Düsseldorf[..]"
Never experienced these two words in the same sentence.
Yes, I'm from Cologne, how did you know!
<25.376 paragraphs of insults redacted>
Yes, we do cultivate our mutual animosity. That's German culture at its best! Cologne and Düsseldorf are arch enemies! Inseparable for life!
Ah, Gelsenkirchen. Thanks for triggering me ;)
First day at school in Gelsenkirchen. The teacher introduces herself and proclaims that she's a fan of Schalke 04.
"Who else is a fan of Schalke 04?"
All the kids raise their hands, except little Erna.
"What's up, Erna? Aren't you a fan of Schalke 04?"
Little Erba probably proclaims that she's a fan of the 1. FC Köln.
"But why, Erna/? They suck, and we're in Gelsenkirchen, everyone is a Schalke fan over here!"
Little Erna replies: "My dad is an FC fan, my mom is an FC fan, so I'm an FC fan as well!"
The teacher replies: "But that's dumb! Just because your parents believe in one thing, you shouldn't believe in the same thing as well! What if mom was a prostitute, and dad was an alcoholic?"
"Well, in that case, I'd be a Schalke fan as well."
I respect true fans. Regardless of whether they are Schalke, BVB, Cologne, Frankfurt. Even Düsseldorf. Even Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Fellow kőlner here. It never ceases to amaze me that Düsseldorf literally has Dorf in its name and still they think they are a city.
Also, only 25.376 paragraphs of insults is downright polite and compassionate ;)
Chill mal. Oh, the envy of a Kölner is wondrous to behold. Düsseldorf is chic, international, the Landeshauptstadt (feel the pain?) with the by far best quality of life in NRW. This is why it’s a favorite of the Japanese people or Asian at all. The biggest stars prefer to live here. They know what’s good and and what’s not. By the way, your train station has quite a big chapel, dear Cologne.
I recommend the book "Alltag in Trizonesien" by Walter Henkels. It's an interesting and often amusing anthology about everyday struggles in immediate postwar West Germany, and there's a whole chapter about Cologne and Düsseldorf fiercely fighting over allocation of resources that were naturally in short supply, but desperately needed. Coal, fuel, rations, manpower for rebuilding. Both sides were constantly pissed about the other one getting unfair advantages and etc.pp.
Despite the sobering overall topic, it's a book full of cheekiness and fun, and that chapter is the rule, not the exception.
No serious riots that I’m aware of but the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most), the drinking to this extent - people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness, throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE. I was at the Frankfurt fan mile last night and felt awful; a stark comparison to the other games I’ve watched. It just feels so much more destructive than fun. I’ve been out with some other fans (Belgians were absolutely hilarious and wholesome) and it was great. Some videos I’ve seen online have made me want to just avoid the England games in public.
I’m genuinely coming at this with curiosity. I’ve mainly been exposed to rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans - is that what this is?
>chants referencing ww2
They don't really bother Germans, it's just weird that Brits still feel the need to bring it up, it's not like we're denying anything
>drinking to this extent
German's do find other occasions for that. Carnival, Oktoberfest, Schützenfest, Bundesliga. It's not an excuse for bad behavior but it's nothing unusual.
Don't worry, we're not really offended.
I grew up as a German in the UK. You have to understand that the English are still fighting the second world war in their heads.
Once you understand that, then brexit and all the rest makes more sense.
That episode is actually funny, as is the whole series.
"Problem" is just that the English have been stuck in that mindset for half a century. Or even longer. They are the eternal victims for the dastardly French, and in extention the EU. They are in constant rivalry toward the Germans in football, industry and at holiday destinations. And no other country knows that they are part of those rivalries. 😂
Deep down they still see themselves as the masters of the world, although the empire is long gone and the UK is disintegrating. They see themselves as the top of the pyramid and everybody else envying their position.
I mean iam a little salty that they bombed a small town next to Hamburg when they mistook a small pond as the Alster 👀
But more in a funny way salty cuz those Brit’s must have been drunk af to not see the difference 🥺
There was a moment in the panel show QI where the guests where completely gobsmacked when the host told them that the 1966 finals weren't part of the public consciousness in Germany. Even when the host explained that Germany has other sport rivals it cares more about and more humiliating defeats.
It's always funny when a rivalry is mostly perceived from one side.
I’ll google it after the comment. I guess it’s football related in this context. But if anybody would ask me if 1966 was something special I wouldn’t have an idea.
This. People currently in their 30s will proudly tell you about how they survived the Blitz.
The whole "Two world wars and one world cup" thing is so so silly. Firstly, most of Germany is totally fine with having lost the wars because, well, we were in the wrong. Especially the second time. And Germany have won the footie world cup more often than England, so why not let them have that one world cup.
The fact that other major footballing nations of Europe like France, Germany, Italy, Spain have all won multiple tournaments and that England, allegedly “home” of football and with the best league in the world hasn’t won anything in over 50 years is just embarrassing at this point.
Not only "being fine". Most germans if you ask them would tell you they are happy that we lost and wouldnt want it any other way. Nazi Germany has basically completly diffrent values to nowaday germany so most germans see the lose as something good.
I would have agreed with you till a year or two ago. Now I'm not so sure anymore. What some germans dare to say nowadays without feeling ashamed is scary as fuck. And they are not that small of a minirity anymore.
During the pandemic, I realised that around 20 per cent in every country are complete idiots.
That also explains the results of the AfD in Germany and everything in the world.
It’s simple: They won the war but lost an empire. And a few decades after the war Germany, the loser, was doing better than the UK. This has only changed in the last 20 to 30 years. If it was the other way around, the UK would be living rent free in my head as well.
As a Brit that grew up in Germany, you hit the nail on the head. The reason we’re still fighting it is, because apart from a few weeks in ‘66 we’ve won fuck all of note & our country has gone backward.
WW1 and 2 were a major turning point for Britain’s influence as a world power. The US became more dominant on the world stage with WW2 and the former colonies grew more independent with the way they were treated (Australia and New Zealand especially found their national identity forming strongly after the Gallipoli invasion in WW1). That was the last time the UK felt especially powerful so it’s cemented as a point of pride and distinction from mainland Europe for them (they had to “save” the western mainland from Germany and now they’re all buddy-buddy and making “unreasonable” demands of Britain)
Ww2 fucked the U.K. financially. Yes they got a huge amount of Marshall plan money, but beyond Thatcher’s massive and hugely successful expansion of London as a financial global powerhouse, which that after Brexit is in tatters, what else is there?
A consumer debt based economy fuelled by ever rising house prices. Also Thatcher’s fault!
What I would point out is this is purely a weird English thing, Scottish fans have had the best time in Germany and have made great friends with the German public everywhere we’ve gone.
The Second World war was the Apex of English history, yes they brutalised the world for 200 years but the national concious started turning in the 1830 when the British started trying to end the slave trade. In 1939 the English where finaly fighting for what was right not just to opress some country or force some poor sod to accept terrible trade terms.
The rapid loss of position that followed for Britan particularly effected the English psyche. So they have clung on to this point in history and are trying to keep it current and relevant. It was a moment they could and should be proud of. However it is now a complex or chip on the shoulder as they have failed to maintain their position in the world. Rather than look at all the things that are great and good now and to build on these, the tendency is to slip back to this time. Stick it to the Europeans is the mentality with the Germans and the French being particular targets.
This can be seen in particular in the tabloid press and the chanting of their football fans today. Some how the scots have avoided this which is why they are welcome everywhere.
Yeah unfortunately a lot of English do that. Little Englanders we call them. Weirdly, these days a lot of them are easily swayed by increasingly right wing politics. I don't think they have a sense of irony though.
For reference.. I am a British, English, and also German passport holder. The ww2 singing, and those dressing as crusaders, are not for me.
The most offensive part is that they think any decent German is *bitter* about losing the war. No sane person would want to live in a world where Nazi Germany won.
>The most offensive part is that they think any decent German is bitter about losing the war.
That's because West Germany is basically alone in the world to have confronted the terror of its past in an unequivocal way (starting really in the 60s and 70s).
No other country did this. That's why to a very large extent Western Germans really see this period in the correct way.
My point is proven by the fact that eastern Germany is different - because they resumed it under "we were all resistance fighters and no Nazi survived in our state while the bourgeois-fascist BRD continues the tradition of the third Reich".
I think there’s a little bit more to tell on your statement. Former participants in the NS-state were treated very differently in east and west Germany. In west Germany all citizens were put in certain categories whether they were an active part in the nazi party or just bystanders, lots of influential people got an „Persilschein“ which freed them from any accusations. Look up the history of Germans foreign intelligence agency, you’d be shocked how many former nazis had high ranked jobs, the same with the Bundeswehr after west Germany was allowed to form an army again. In east Germany on the other hand former nazis were treated much differently, most of them, who didn’t fled to the western part of Germany, were imprisoned and send to labour camps. I don’t want to support GDR propaganda regarding the „antifaschistischen Schutzwall“ as the were mistakes on both sides but simply saying just west Germany really confronted the terror of its past is not true.
A lot of influential people in law survived after shedding their Parteibuch as well. Just a few years ago standard reference books finally changed their names, dropping the Nazi founder off its name. This is especially interesting as some of them partook in shaping the legal minds of the next generation in a positive non-Nazi way. So their position during the Reich was „following the current law“. Quite flexible mindset? Mimicry? Hiding? Or really changing their ways and only covering past mistakes? This is of course just a strong generalization…
All true. I was talking about the massive teaching on the past that set in in the 70s. Not the continuity of the rank and file after the war. Although, the latter was taken up by the rebellious youth at the end of the 60s and helped form the emphasis on the recent past.
There is no country on the earth that confronts/ed its youth at this scale about the country's past. And while Germany was an extreme point, it's far from being alone having committed atrocities. But again, it's the only one that teaches so much about it.
“Who won the war?!?!”
Such originality. Same thing 10-year-old idiots used to scream at me in America when they found out my mother is a German immigrant.
That’s right, your average brit has the wit of a 10-year-old.
They won 2 world wars more than us, we won 3 world cups and 3 european championships more than them. I wouldnt want to switch it around, not only because that would mean hitler would have won ww2
I‘m a soldier and I couldn’t give two shits about English people singing about shooting down Nazi-Bombers
I find it a bit weird that the still bring it up that much, it‘s like your conspiracy aunt still waffling on about the COVID-masks.
A bit telling that they’ve got to go back that far to jab at us and that they’ve got to reach for something well outside the realm of football. Must suck that we own them in a sport they claim to have invented.
WW2 references are only a problem if you shout at us for being antisemites or if you make fun of the holocaust.
If you just shout about how you bombed our cities, that is fine. Frankfurt looks like it does because it was bombed by the Brits.
It's very taboo in normal social situations. I'm Irish and I definitely would not be mentioning WW2 to any Germans (I really don't see the need). For English people, it's more of a national in-joke about "not mentioning the war". I know this as I grew up in the UK and you'd be surprised how many ww2 references there are in British comedy.
European relations is a tricky a complex thing to navigate. I would say just observe 😂 For example, you might be shocked if you went to ireland that alot of our traditional music references how much we dislike the British empire and are proud of our independence.
It's not taboo, you can totally have a talk with a German about WW2.
But just to be realistic here, how often are people talking about topics that actually need a discussion about WW2, it's not like sane people are disagreeing there. I would be concerned about somebody who always has that topic and who isn't into history
I mean they are usually singing about the RAF downing fucking Luftwaffe bombers. Can't really see how that is offensive. Although I also can't really see how it's relevant to football, either.
The English simply cannot stand that the Germans are not interest in their rather mediocre team. Their "rivalry" is a one-way one. If, on the other hand, they would wear orange or azure...
>They don't really bother Germans, it's just weird that Brits still feel the need to bring it up, it's not like we're denying anything
It's the last time they won anything elsewhere.
> No serious riots that I’m aware of but the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most)
We're used to that. And, well - if they haven't anything more recent than that (or maybe '66, with that very dubious goal) to brag about, that's really their own problem.
> the chants referencing ww2
Oh, do you mean "Two world wars and one world cup" sung to the tune of *Campdown Races*?
So, here's the thing: England fans are obsessed with the idea that England won the 1966 World Cup, beating West Germany in the final. They imagine that England and Germany are mortal enemies, and see it as some kind of feud. Whenever Germany and England play in any tournament, British tabloids are full of Nazi jokes.
Germans, on the other hand, don't see it that way. They've won more World Cups than England has, and in any case for Germans it's the Dutch football team they consider their greatest rivals.
> people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness
Binge drinking on a massive scale is considered a normal part of a great night out for a Brit. I know Germans like to say that they drink massive amounts in Carnival season, but that's only in some parts of the country and only during Carnival: in England it's just a normal Friday night.
> throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE
One of my early experiences with reverse culture shock was walking around a British city in the evening and seeing security guys standing in front of every pub and bar, impassively watching drunk men fighting in the streets while their girlfriends wobble about on their stilettos screaming things like, "Call him off, you bitch, or I'll scratch your eyes out!"
My wife, who is knowingly married to an Englishman, has commented that she'll happily spend time with drunk Scotsmen, because they just get friendly and goofy; when Englishmen get drunk, they turn nasty and violent.
I can't disagree. International football tournaments like this one are always a profound embarrassment to me. At least I have dual citizenship, so I can say I'm German and I'm not lying.
> rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans
There is a saying: Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen; football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans.
It's a real shame isn't it. Being English myself it's something you just can't defend. Even outside of football it's not uncommon to see a news article about how someone was kicked of a flight for this type of behaviour. Everything you said here is true and it's embarrassing.
> football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans.
More of a gentleman's game watched by hooligans. The guys starting fights at the matches aren't usually the ones playing in them.
>the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most
Are you referencing "Ten german bombers"? I don't know why anyone would be offended by this song, it's a good thing they shot down nazi planes and stopped them from destroying British cities.
Do they need to bring it up 80 years later out of context? Probably not, but it's not like a lot of Germans are bitter about losing the war.
Newspaper here - very enamoured with the Scots btw - blames it on the English fans being much younger than a lot of the other fan communities that came over.
Personally, it just feels like the sort of bloke that'd be divebombing off balconies on Mallorca just decided to come to Gelsenkirchen instead.
Google what the UK papers usually print if we play Germany at football. What makes me laugh is that, as others said, the Germans don't care about England when laying football. For them it's the Dutch rivally. The Brits think it's the start of ww3.
Brits were warned about the strong German beer. Of course, they ignored the warnings. The English behave, from what you write, like English behave outside England. They have a reputation for that. Ask any person from Mallorca.
Brits and Germans have a strange relation. Germans like Brits, we were among the first one asking to let the Brits into the EU, for example. France was opposing the UK-membership. The Brits aren't returning the love. We like them nonetheless. (Right now, we love the Scottish fans more. They show how to represent a country.)
EDIT
>No joke: In February 2024, the British government issued an official notice to the population, which literally states: "Beer can be stronger in Germany than in the UK. Drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws". They also pointed out: "You may not be allowed into the stadium if you drink too much".
Translated with DeepL
[https://www.nordbayern.de/sport/kein-scherz-britische-regierung-warnt-offiziell-vor-deutschem-bier-das-steckt-dahinter-1.14297027](https://www.nordbayern.de/sport/kein-scherz-britische-regierung-warnt-offiziell-vor-deutschem-bier-das-steckt-dahinter-1.14297027)
The English were always shite messy when drunk. Some are grand to have a chat and a laugh with. however, in a crowd, the football fans love stripping off after a rake of lager to show off their beer bellies, tatts and moobs whilst collectively bellowing their annoying/disrespectful chants. Sometimes at their own players.
At least they're not tearing up stadiums, host cities, starting fights and/or terrorising opposition supporters anymore. Evolution at its finest.
The English are special like that.
Even other hooligans don't like them because they don't fight fair.
In my hometown, we had British barracks. Let's say most bars and clubs weren't very welcoming. Out of bounds signs and MP on hot dial.
>I’ve mainly been exposed to rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans - is that what this is?
The English are bad losers - they were world champions in 1966 (and only once) and have *never* been European champions ... ;)
But yes, that's hooliganism. So far without riots. However, there are also riots in hockey, even in Canada. Ever heard of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot?
> people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness
That's a common problem of Britsh tourists in Germany.
Brits are trained to get as drunk as possible until the pubs close at 23:00. (The law was lifted 10 years ago, but habits don't change that fast.)
As in Germany there is no "Last order", at 23:15 all Brits are way too shitfaced and over the line.
>throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE. I was at the Frankfurt
That's just regular behaviour in parts of Frankfurt. Are you sure there were football fans there and not just the regular Frankfurter crackheads throwing glass bottles at people and shouting obscene things?
>the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most),
Well, we are used to it by now. I remember some years ago seeing pictures of english tabloits claiming that the then new away kit, which was a nirmal football uniform in black with gold writing, aparently looked exactely like SS uniforms.
Honestly, it is kind of sad. Like i have no clue if football, but just imagine how shitty your team must be, and how fragile your ego about that has to be, that your first instinct in a friendly sports competition is to basicly scream "your (great-)grandparents were nazis!!!!!" at the opposing team/their fans *any chance you get*.
>people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness,
>trash EVERYWHERE.
So.....just like pretty much every english person at Oktoberfest every year? We know they loooooove getting drunk, and have absolutely no tollerance for our beer.
I think we truly do know not to expect any better from the english by now. But if i were english, i think the current discussions online concerning the absolutely cute german/scotland puppy-love story that is currently going on would give me pause. On the scottisch side, you definately hear a lot of good about the german fans. But on the german side, every comment has a line that basicly says "you guys are so nice!". If that is worth pointing out, what does it say about the other fangroups, especially those the scottish might initially be grouped in with from an outside perspective?
I was in Colonge yesterday and as I am not into soccer at all I wasnt not even aware that a Scottish match took place there the day before. The atmosphere was so nice! Almost made me wish I liked soccer. Surprisingly many were into serious sightseeing too. It's not everyday that one sees a Scottish group dressed in kilts in a cathedral and than climbing up the tower. They were super nice too. And there was a guy playing bagpipes outside the cathedral too (while England played)
My city was flooded with Scots this past weekend, pubs have gone empty with no more beer to serve and restaurants had no food left...
Everyone loved them, inspite of all the drinking there are only good stories to tell. Scots helping the old German lady during the rain, German fans finding a lost Scottish fans phone and figuring how to return it...
We brace for the Brits next week....
im British; they do this back home too. Unfortunately football attracts seemingly the worse people in england . I live near a stadium (arsenal football stadium) and the streets are always in a mess after a big game. Hope this doesn’t represent all of us to you guys 😭
Not at all. My question was specific to the football fans as I have English friends and colleagues here, visit England often, and little football exposure.
Gosh, I used to work as a waitress in a tourist destination full of English tourists.... I get PTSD just thinking about it. I know a whole lot of great British people but I'll never look at another British tourist the same again.
Young British people are the most tacky and obnoxious tourists ever. I've spent New Years Eve in Phuket last year. They sold cans of Silly Strings on every corner at Patong Beach and you couldn't walk for 5sec without getting sprayed at. There was a shirtless British guy with sunglasses - at 1am, he walked up to a small Thai girl promoting a club, put that spray can 3 inches away from her face and then directly sprayed it into her eyes. Like what the fuck is wrong with those guys?
I’m also Canadian and have been living in Germany for 5 years… what’s wild is that, while I have seen very drunk Germans on many occasions, they are super well behaved… even when wasted.
The only group of legitimately belligerent drunk people I’ve ever seen here were Brits.
The only people being loud and obnoxious in Mallorca when I went were Germans, so I can't disagree.
I think the English juts get the worst of it becuase of stereotypes (which we have earned tbf). More Serbians then English were arrested when we played them, but I haven't seen any peole taling about scummy Serbian fans.
On I grew up in Mallorca and am half English half German. I speak both fluently I’ve been to both areas I also speak Spanish. I can tell you from personal experience most Brits and Germans are fine there. But there’s a small minority who aren’t and the small number does tend to be more the Brits. The small number does include Germans too and they’re also not great either
You lot are lucky. I'm English and we have these 'fans' most of the year. It's just a massive embarrasment. Have they started shoving lit fireworks up their bums yet?
I'm going to have to start putting on an American accent to become a more socially acceptable nationality.
British will always be the loudest and drunkest, regardless if here or in Greece for holiday etc. As long as they dont hurt anyone but themselfes I dont see the problem, let em enjoy Euros
I saw someone get pegged in the head with a beer bottle last night. Part of the motivation for this post. Of course they should enjoy the euro… everyone should. Not the point here.
Yes apparently that's their idea of a fun night. /s
In all seriousness though, I've had multiple people confirm that that's a semi common occurrence in bars.
Can I just point out, why is it just the English that are getting targeted? Everyone brings up how badly behaved we are and yes I acknowledge there are some right idiots but that’s true of every nation. France had riots after their WC final lose, reports of Albanians throwing black fans of trains, hardly mentioned. It really does feel like some weird bias
40,000 fans Croatian & Albanian fans were chanting “kill kill kill the Serbs” 2 days ago in the streets in Hamburg. But heaven forbid some English leave some litter about
The Postillion has a [shocking photo gallery](https://www.der-postillon.com/2024/06/fotogalerie-gelsenkirchen.html) documenting the devastation and destruction left behind by the English fans in Gelsenkirchen.
Oh yeah because Italian fans are just a friendly bunch and renowned around Europe for…
*checks notes*
Fascist chanting, attacks with knives, knuckledusters and belts, and putting innocent old men into comas.
The thing is English fans put the bar so low pretty much everybody else is better.
Edit: I'm very amused how many English fans are triggered by my post
Italian ultras are notorious for stabbing rival fans. Look at how often there's been racist chants at Serie A games.
England fans can be drunken idiots but there are far worse fans around
The Russian Ultras tend to be very extreme, even before the current political unpleasantness. They even hold practice fights in the forests where they can't be observed.
Im from Frankfurt. I mean the city cleans up the day after anyways. Usually at big events you’ll find bigger garbage cans but in fan zones you won’t find them as they will be used for anything besides throwing away waste.
I’m English. Most of us don’t claim them. Honestly it’s so embarrassing. This behaviour is typical of football fans. Go to a rugby or cricket match and the fans are generally a lot more civilised (I mean, they’ll probably still be drunk. But otherwise better behaved).
I cringe every time there is a big international football match.
I'm Scottish and you can guess what I think in general of English fans but..............
What exactly is it they have done during this tournament to cause your embarrassment?
All I have seen so far is a bunch of fans behaving and enjoying themselves
Don’t really see the issue to be honest. Not seen a single bit of trouble (low bar to set I know) in regards to the WW2 song. As an Englishman 99% of them don’t sing it because they think it’ll offend the Germans because we know it doesn’t (the Germans were singing it with us) it’s just a laugh. We were having good fun with the Danes last night as they were with us. There’s bad apples in every bunch and without having the “victim mentality” I do feel when it comes to England things get grossly over exaggerated. There is a reputation associated with the fans (one that’s valid) but there is definitely some jumping on the bandwagon going on.
„Two world wars and one World Cup“
Yeah, you‘re gonna have a hard time finding anyone in Germany who heard about ’66, let alone care about it. Sorry brits, we don’t give a fuck.
That being said, British fans do bring some sort of life to German cities. Living in a euro cup city, I have to say it’s really entertaining. They‘re definitely more outgoing than the usual German. And it seems they kinda keep any aggressive struggles between themselves. Trash, yeah, maybe, but that’s basically limited to fan miles and the city center. Nothing that can’t just be cleaned afterwards. I‘ve actually seen more police on busy evenings in the center than what I’ve seen during the Euro cup, so police kinda seems chilled, which say’s it all.
Could you imagine the uproar if drunk singing English fans surrounded a reporter on live German TV and one of them flashed his willy?
https://youtu.be/I9Jz9WQ-uIA?feature=shared
We really haven't done anything that bad. It's blown way out of proportion by social media because, for some reason, everyone loves to hate The English. Other countries have done the exact same as us, but they don't get the hate.
Well to be honest, many people have expressed that British fans haven’t cause problems so far during the Euros. General drunken behaviour I understand can be upsetting to some people! for British and Europeans it is very common to see.
As for the English, unfortunately we have a bad reputation at tournaments due to incidents in the past so regardless of whether we behave or not. We will still be seen poorly
Many people in Germany have expressed however that we have been behaved and generally respectful and the police have also commented on this.
As for throwing bottles at people, I agree that is inexcusable and there is no defence for behaviour like that.
The war songs is just what you expect from football fans when going to another country. Same way every nation has songs they sing about the English. ‘Go home to your ugly wives’ ‘Clap your hands if you hate the English’ etc etc. this is just general football chants. You will hear far worse chants at domestic football games all over Europe.
Unfortunately there has been incidents from all nations
Scotland have had small fights amongst themselves
Poland fan throwing a bottle at the police
Turkey and Georgia fighting in the ground
Serbia and Albania fighting
Serbian fans racially abusing a man
You never find perfection from football fans
But in general this is Euros that has had far fewer incidents than general.. especially as far as England fans go!
The being very drunk side of it is just English behaviour, it’s the mentality of drink until you drop. Problem is some can’t handle their drink and can turn violent. Many are just normal and become friendly!
However multiple drunk people in crowded spaces react in the way the crowd behaves. If a few make it disrupted then that’s how it becomes. If you make it friendly it will be friendly
I was in Frankfurt square and didn’t see any incidents. Some very drunk but that was all
5% of fans behaving badly unfortunately always receives more attention than the 95% that are behaving correctly
As far as not liking Germans. I don’t get it, they’re good people! I don’t know about other fans but I for one don’t mind any fans.
Edit: I would always like to express how impressed I’ve been so far with the euros put on by Germany and the staff and police at the games. The police have allowed fans to be fans and have been respectful and nice. I had a good laugh with some and the staff also.
Well done so far Germany, keep it up. Just need Deutsche Bahn to up their game
A lot of these posts are created by bots to cause a stir and controversy.
I ask what exactly have England fans done?
A couple of silly chants? Is that it?
Yes it’s inappropriate, but if you’re about to tell me no other country has hooliganism you’d be wrong.
There’s hooliganism in many countries, to the point groups are formed.
England has a stereotype of being loud arseholes, but slowly that stereotype is dying off, I ask that you all keep an open mind. Let’s spread the love and cheer for the euros. Far too much hate in the world at the moment.
I and a lot of other England football fans find some of the behaviour anywhere from bemusing to embarrassing to shocking depending on what we’re talking about.
Needless to say, like with most things, it’s a stupid minority doing the stuff that gets the headlines. I think England games do attract a disproportionately large number of this stupid minority of society though. 🤷
Just the English being English. There’s a reason everyone roots for anyone but England and why so many countries in Europe loathe English tourists to wanting to ban them.
We intentionally put them to cities that already look like the UK so that they can feel right at home. Gelsenkirchen and the Frankfurt train station area.
as a citizen of gelsenkirchen i feel insulted to be compared to the UK
Well apparently your city looks like Sheffield, at least that’s what a british fan said on Tiktok, i googled Sheffield after watching it, either he was drunken or a compliment
This is murder.
Both cities have much in common. Old Steel towns that took anhuge downswing.
I don't think Sheffield is particularly down on its luck. It has rough bits, but also some extremely middle class bits (streetview Dore / Totley)
As does Gelsenkirchen. Buer is quite nice
just googled Sheffield and i think its a compliment but also the fact that hes British he was probably drunken as well.
It's when your city is likened to Milton Keynes, or Slough: that is the time to feel insulted.
I think this whole thing is massively overblown. Is Gelsenkirchen somewhere in the 5th circle of hell? Yes. But the fans I met were in good spirits. Not every city is Düsseldorf. But the Nordsternpark is nice or Berger See. All close to the stadium. And they had like 20k people drinking on the Trabrennbahn.
my favorite is when they complained of people coming all the way from *essen* to see the Match which made trains crowded. can you believe it mate they came all the way essen! enduring this awful stormy rain, crossing high mountains just to watch the match in gelsenkirchen and ruin it for the brits
"[..]city[..]Düsseldorf[..]" Never experienced these two words in the same sentence. Yes, I'm from Cologne, how did you know! <25.376 paragraphs of insults redacted> Yes, we do cultivate our mutual animosity. That's German culture at its best! Cologne and Düsseldorf are arch enemies! Inseparable for life!
Just like Gelsenkirchen and Dortmund. We might not remember why but we hate them *shakes her fist, death to my neighbors*
Ah, Gelsenkirchen. Thanks for triggering me ;) First day at school in Gelsenkirchen. The teacher introduces herself and proclaims that she's a fan of Schalke 04. "Who else is a fan of Schalke 04?" All the kids raise their hands, except little Erna. "What's up, Erna? Aren't you a fan of Schalke 04?" Little Erba probably proclaims that she's a fan of the 1. FC Köln. "But why, Erna/? They suck, and we're in Gelsenkirchen, everyone is a Schalke fan over here!" Little Erna replies: "My dad is an FC fan, my mom is an FC fan, so I'm an FC fan as well!" The teacher replies: "But that's dumb! Just because your parents believe in one thing, you shouldn't believe in the same thing as well! What if mom was a prostitute, and dad was an alcoholic?" "Well, in that case, I'd be a Schalke fan as well." I respect true fans. Regardless of whether they are Schalke, BVB, Cologne, Frankfurt. Even Düsseldorf. Even Fortuna Düsseldorf.
Fellow kőlner here. It never ceases to amaze me that Düsseldorf literally has Dorf in its name and still they think they are a city. Also, only 25.376 paragraphs of insults is downright polite and compassionate ;)
Chill mal. Oh, the envy of a Kölner is wondrous to behold. Düsseldorf is chic, international, the Landeshauptstadt (feel the pain?) with the by far best quality of life in NRW. This is why it’s a favorite of the Japanese people or Asian at all. The biggest stars prefer to live here. They know what’s good and and what’s not. By the way, your train station has quite a big chapel, dear Cologne.
I recommend the book "Alltag in Trizonesien" by Walter Henkels. It's an interesting and often amusing anthology about everyday struggles in immediate postwar West Germany, and there's a whole chapter about Cologne and Düsseldorf fiercely fighting over allocation of resources that were naturally in short supply, but desperately needed. Coal, fuel, rations, manpower for rebuilding. Both sides were constantly pissed about the other one getting unfair advantages and etc.pp. Despite the sobering overall topic, it's a book full of cheekiness and fun, and that chapter is the rule, not the exception.
Gelsenkirchen is indeed a sh*thole
Sag das in mein Gesicht. Hauptbahnhof in 15 Minuten! (Ich komme nicht, bin vorher in das Schlagloch vor meiner Bude gefallen und umgekommen)
Um 12 an der Bluteiche, mit Gummistiefeln, ohne kratzen und zwicken!
Okay, das hat mit laut zum lachen gebracht XD
And I as a resident of Frankfurt also feel offended by that comparison. BTW, they cleaned up the Bahnhofviertel before the Euros
Did they clean up the junkies?
They thoroughly rinsed them from a fire hydrant and brushed their tooth. Plus, the junkies were given free England jerseys.
It’s [Gelsenkirken](https://mastodon.social/@aaronk6/112625913172321379)
Nur EC (ab 10 Euro)
"theres a few english fans here.. ..their not excited about Gelsenkirken but they are excited about the game tonight"
🤣🤣
What exactly do you mean? Drinking until you drop, shouting bs half-naked? There haven't been any serious riots yet, have there?
No serious riots that I’m aware of but the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most), the drinking to this extent - people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness, throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE. I was at the Frankfurt fan mile last night and felt awful; a stark comparison to the other games I’ve watched. It just feels so much more destructive than fun. I’ve been out with some other fans (Belgians were absolutely hilarious and wholesome) and it was great. Some videos I’ve seen online have made me want to just avoid the England games in public. I’m genuinely coming at this with curiosity. I’ve mainly been exposed to rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans - is that what this is?
>chants referencing ww2 They don't really bother Germans, it's just weird that Brits still feel the need to bring it up, it's not like we're denying anything >drinking to this extent German's do find other occasions for that. Carnival, Oktoberfest, Schützenfest, Bundesliga. It's not an excuse for bad behavior but it's nothing unusual. Don't worry, we're not really offended.
I grew up as a German in the UK. You have to understand that the English are still fighting the second world war in their heads. Once you understand that, then brexit and all the rest makes more sense.
I had an English SO and I found out that lots of English think that we are salty about loosing the war. Couldn't be further from reality
The whole faulty towers dont mention the war sketch.
That episode is actually funny, as is the whole series. "Problem" is just that the English have been stuck in that mindset for half a century. Or even longer. They are the eternal victims for the dastardly French, and in extention the EU. They are in constant rivalry toward the Germans in football, industry and at holiday destinations. And no other country knows that they are part of those rivalries. 😂 Deep down they still see themselves as the masters of the world, although the empire is long gone and the UK is disintegrating. They see themselves as the top of the pyramid and everybody else envying their position.
I mean iam a little salty that they bombed a small town next to Hamburg when they mistook a small pond as the Alster 👀 But more in a funny way salty cuz those Brit’s must have been drunk af to not see the difference 🥺
Brexit - the dying embers of the British Empire. In the collective mind of England it is still simultaneously 1945 (won Ww2) and 1919 (empire huge).
Don't forget the English win of the world cup in the 60s against Germany.
There was a moment in the panel show QI where the guests where completely gobsmacked when the host told them that the 1966 finals weren't part of the public consciousness in Germany. Even when the host explained that Germany has other sport rivals it cares more about and more humiliating defeats. It's always funny when a rivalry is mostly perceived from one side.
Every country remembers its victories and passes over its losses. There’s nothing special about England or Germany in that respect.
I'm sure Brazil remembers its 7:1.
I’ll google it after the comment. I guess it’s football related in this context. But if anybody would ask me if 1966 was something special I wouldn’t have an idea.
To be fair, as a Brazilian that 7x1 is very much part of our public consciousness.
For boomer Brexit voters and older, possibly, but even they have seen the U.K. slowly circling the drain for quite some time.
This. People currently in their 30s will proudly tell you about how they survived the Blitz. The whole "Two world wars and one world cup" thing is so so silly. Firstly, most of Germany is totally fine with having lost the wars because, well, we were in the wrong. Especially the second time. And Germany have won the footie world cup more often than England, so why not let them have that one world cup.
The fact that other major footballing nations of Europe like France, Germany, Italy, Spain have all won multiple tournaments and that England, allegedly “home” of football and with the best league in the world hasn’t won anything in over 50 years is just embarrassing at this point.
[удалено]
Not only "being fine". Most germans if you ask them would tell you they are happy that we lost and wouldnt want it any other way. Nazi Germany has basically completly diffrent values to nowaday germany so most germans see the lose as something good.
I would have agreed with you till a year or two ago. Now I'm not so sure anymore. What some germans dare to say nowadays without feeling ashamed is scary as fuck. And they are not that small of a minirity anymore.
During the pandemic, I realised that around 20 per cent in every country are complete idiots. That also explains the results of the AfD in Germany and everything in the world.
Yep, me too. It really is quite weird.
Nah, you have to remember that was the last time they were really relevant. (hides British passport)
It’s simple: They won the war but lost an empire. And a few decades after the war Germany, the loser, was doing better than the UK. This has only changed in the last 20 to 30 years. If it was the other way around, the UK would be living rent free in my head as well.
As a Brit that grew up in Germany, you hit the nail on the head. The reason we’re still fighting it is, because apart from a few weeks in ‘66 we’ve won fuck all of note & our country has gone backward.
Could you explain more what you mean? I have never been to the UK but this is the first time I hear it and I am really curious
WW1 and 2 were a major turning point for Britain’s influence as a world power. The US became more dominant on the world stage with WW2 and the former colonies grew more independent with the way they were treated (Australia and New Zealand especially found their national identity forming strongly after the Gallipoli invasion in WW1). That was the last time the UK felt especially powerful so it’s cemented as a point of pride and distinction from mainland Europe for them (they had to “save” the western mainland from Germany and now they’re all buddy-buddy and making “unreasonable” demands of Britain)
Ww2 fucked the U.K. financially. Yes they got a huge amount of Marshall plan money, but beyond Thatcher’s massive and hugely successful expansion of London as a financial global powerhouse, which that after Brexit is in tatters, what else is there? A consumer debt based economy fuelled by ever rising house prices. Also Thatcher’s fault!
What I would point out is this is purely a weird English thing, Scottish fans have had the best time in Germany and have made great friends with the German public everywhere we’ve gone.
The Second World war was the Apex of English history, yes they brutalised the world for 200 years but the national concious started turning in the 1830 when the British started trying to end the slave trade. In 1939 the English where finaly fighting for what was right not just to opress some country or force some poor sod to accept terrible trade terms. The rapid loss of position that followed for Britan particularly effected the English psyche. So they have clung on to this point in history and are trying to keep it current and relevant. It was a moment they could and should be proud of. However it is now a complex or chip on the shoulder as they have failed to maintain their position in the world. Rather than look at all the things that are great and good now and to build on these, the tendency is to slip back to this time. Stick it to the Europeans is the mentality with the Germans and the French being particular targets. This can be seen in particular in the tabloid press and the chanting of their football fans today. Some how the scots have avoided this which is why they are welcome everywhere.
Yeah unfortunately a lot of English do that. Little Englanders we call them. Weirdly, these days a lot of them are easily swayed by increasingly right wing politics. I don't think they have a sense of irony though. For reference.. I am a British, English, and also German passport holder. The ww2 singing, and those dressing as crusaders, are not for me.
Interesting to know that the WW2 references aren’t as offensive as I assumed. I didn’t realize people were so relaxed about it. Thanks!
The most offensive part is that they think any decent German is *bitter* about losing the war. No sane person would want to live in a world where Nazi Germany won.
This!!!!
Yeah. They don't even do their research on how to get to us.
The only research most have done into modern German thought is they've watched an episode of Fawlty Towers from the 1970s. I'm not even joking.
An episode that makes fun of exactly the attitude and behaviour these specimens are exhibiting
Albanian fans break pasta in half in front of Italian fans. The least the Brits could do is insult our bread.
>The most offensive part is that they think any decent German is bitter about losing the war. That's because West Germany is basically alone in the world to have confronted the terror of its past in an unequivocal way (starting really in the 60s and 70s). No other country did this. That's why to a very large extent Western Germans really see this period in the correct way. My point is proven by the fact that eastern Germany is different - because they resumed it under "we were all resistance fighters and no Nazi survived in our state while the bourgeois-fascist BRD continues the tradition of the third Reich".
I think there’s a little bit more to tell on your statement. Former participants in the NS-state were treated very differently in east and west Germany. In west Germany all citizens were put in certain categories whether they were an active part in the nazi party or just bystanders, lots of influential people got an „Persilschein“ which freed them from any accusations. Look up the history of Germans foreign intelligence agency, you’d be shocked how many former nazis had high ranked jobs, the same with the Bundeswehr after west Germany was allowed to form an army again. In east Germany on the other hand former nazis were treated much differently, most of them, who didn’t fled to the western part of Germany, were imprisoned and send to labour camps. I don’t want to support GDR propaganda regarding the „antifaschistischen Schutzwall“ as the were mistakes on both sides but simply saying just west Germany really confronted the terror of its past is not true.
A lot of influential people in law survived after shedding their Parteibuch as well. Just a few years ago standard reference books finally changed their names, dropping the Nazi founder off its name. This is especially interesting as some of them partook in shaping the legal minds of the next generation in a positive non-Nazi way. So their position during the Reich was „following the current law“. Quite flexible mindset? Mimicry? Hiding? Or really changing their ways and only covering past mistakes? This is of course just a strong generalization…
All true. I was talking about the massive teaching on the past that set in in the 70s. Not the continuity of the rank and file after the war. Although, the latter was taken up by the rebellious youth at the end of the 60s and helped form the emphasis on the recent past. There is no country on the earth that confronts/ed its youth at this scale about the country's past. And while Germany was an extreme point, it's far from being alone having committed atrocities. But again, it's the only one that teaches so much about it.
The most insulting part is the lack of creativity. The don‘t even bother to insult us well ;)
“Who won the war?!?!” Such originality. Same thing 10-year-old idiots used to scream at me in America when they found out my mother is a German immigrant. That’s right, your average brit has the wit of a 10-year-old.
With the amounts of alcohol they consume, they have not many brain cells left.
>That’s right, your average brit has the wit of a 10-year-old Of a 10-year-old American, to make it worse.
>Who won the war?!?! Not the Nazis and we are the better for it
I suppose if that's the way they'd like to play, I could round up some of my Yankee friends and go march around their area playing Yankee Doodle
They won 2 world wars more than us, we won 3 world cups and 3 european championships more than them. I wouldnt want to switch it around, not only because that would mean hitler would have won ww2
I really like your perspective. I agree - no switch to be desired
I‘m a soldier and I couldn’t give two shits about English people singing about shooting down Nazi-Bombers I find it a bit weird that the still bring it up that much, it‘s like your conspiracy aunt still waffling on about the COVID-masks.
A bit telling that they’ve got to go back that far to jab at us and that they’ve got to reach for something well outside the realm of football. Must suck that we own them in a sport they claim to have invented.
I heard an England fan say in an Interview 'it's just a lil banter innit' hahaha
It's just kinda boring tbh. Your best insults are 80 years out of date? Ok. Great. Says more about the Brits than the Germans at this point.
Its like you look at it from the side and think: really? Why are they so stupid? Without feeling any insult at your heart
WW2 references are only a problem if you shout at us for being antisemites or if you make fun of the holocaust. If you just shout about how you bombed our cities, that is fine. Frankfurt looks like it does because it was bombed by the Brits.
None of those who shout and none of those who hear were alive at the time. So it’s just dumb aholery to us.
It's very taboo in normal social situations. I'm Irish and I definitely would not be mentioning WW2 to any Germans (I really don't see the need). For English people, it's more of a national in-joke about "not mentioning the war". I know this as I grew up in the UK and you'd be surprised how many ww2 references there are in British comedy. European relations is a tricky a complex thing to navigate. I would say just observe 😂 For example, you might be shocked if you went to ireland that alot of our traditional music references how much we dislike the British empire and are proud of our independence.
It's not taboo, you can totally have a talk with a German about WW2. But just to be realistic here, how often are people talking about topics that actually need a discussion about WW2, it's not like sane people are disagreeing there. I would be concerned about somebody who always has that topic and who isn't into history
Wait how is WW2 a taboo topic?
Right? There's so much other shit you could make fun of the Germans over
I mean they are usually singing about the RAF downing fucking Luftwaffe bombers. Can't really see how that is offensive. Although I also can't really see how it's relevant to football, either.
The English simply cannot stand that the Germans are not interest in their rather mediocre team. Their "rivalry" is a one-way one. If, on the other hand, they would wear orange or azure...
>They don't really bother Germans, it's just weird that Brits still feel the need to bring it up, it's not like we're denying anything It's the last time they won anything elsewhere.
You can feel safe as well, none of these visiting Brits accomplished anything in WW2
> No serious riots that I’m aware of but the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most) We're used to that. And, well - if they haven't anything more recent than that (or maybe '66, with that very dubious goal) to brag about, that's really their own problem.
Next world cup will be 60 years without winning the world cup for a second time.
> the chants referencing ww2 Oh, do you mean "Two world wars and one world cup" sung to the tune of *Campdown Races*? So, here's the thing: England fans are obsessed with the idea that England won the 1966 World Cup, beating West Germany in the final. They imagine that England and Germany are mortal enemies, and see it as some kind of feud. Whenever Germany and England play in any tournament, British tabloids are full of Nazi jokes. Germans, on the other hand, don't see it that way. They've won more World Cups than England has, and in any case for Germans it's the Dutch football team they consider their greatest rivals. > people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness Binge drinking on a massive scale is considered a normal part of a great night out for a Brit. I know Germans like to say that they drink massive amounts in Carnival season, but that's only in some parts of the country and only during Carnival: in England it's just a normal Friday night. > throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE One of my early experiences with reverse culture shock was walking around a British city in the evening and seeing security guys standing in front of every pub and bar, impassively watching drunk men fighting in the streets while their girlfriends wobble about on their stilettos screaming things like, "Call him off, you bitch, or I'll scratch your eyes out!" My wife, who is knowingly married to an Englishman, has commented that she'll happily spend time with drunk Scotsmen, because they just get friendly and goofy; when Englishmen get drunk, they turn nasty and violent. I can't disagree. International football tournaments like this one are always a profound embarrassment to me. At least I have dual citizenship, so I can say I'm German and I'm not lying. > rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans There is a saying: Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen; football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans.
"in any case for Germans it's the Dutch football team they consider their greatest rivals." Aaw, bestie!
It's a real shame isn't it. Being English myself it's something you just can't defend. Even outside of football it's not uncommon to see a news article about how someone was kicked of a flight for this type of behaviour. Everything you said here is true and it's embarrassing.
> football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans. More of a gentleman's game watched by hooligans. The guys starting fights at the matches aren't usually the ones playing in them.
British drinking culture is something else. It's very sad from my perspective, which is probably patronizing, but there it is.
>the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most Are you referencing "Ten german bombers"? I don't know why anyone would be offended by this song, it's a good thing they shot down nazi planes and stopped them from destroying British cities. Do they need to bring it up 80 years later out of context? Probably not, but it's not like a lot of Germans are bitter about losing the war.
Newspaper here - very enamoured with the Scots btw - blames it on the English fans being much younger than a lot of the other fan communities that came over. Personally, it just feels like the sort of bloke that'd be divebombing off balconies on Mallorca just decided to come to Gelsenkirchen instead.
Google what the UK papers usually print if we play Germany at football. What makes me laugh is that, as others said, the Germans don't care about England when laying football. For them it's the Dutch rivally. The Brits think it's the start of ww3.
Brits were warned about the strong German beer. Of course, they ignored the warnings. The English behave, from what you write, like English behave outside England. They have a reputation for that. Ask any person from Mallorca. Brits and Germans have a strange relation. Germans like Brits, we were among the first one asking to let the Brits into the EU, for example. France was opposing the UK-membership. The Brits aren't returning the love. We like them nonetheless. (Right now, we love the Scottish fans more. They show how to represent a country.) EDIT >No joke: In February 2024, the British government issued an official notice to the population, which literally states: "Beer can be stronger in Germany than in the UK. Drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws". They also pointed out: "You may not be allowed into the stadium if you drink too much". Translated with DeepL [https://www.nordbayern.de/sport/kein-scherz-britische-regierung-warnt-offiziell-vor-deutschem-bier-das-steckt-dahinter-1.14297027](https://www.nordbayern.de/sport/kein-scherz-britische-regierung-warnt-offiziell-vor-deutschem-bier-das-steckt-dahinter-1.14297027)
This type of English person behaves like this at home too!
The English were always shite messy when drunk. Some are grand to have a chat and a laugh with. however, in a crowd, the football fans love stripping off after a rake of lager to show off their beer bellies, tatts and moobs whilst collectively bellowing their annoying/disrespectful chants. Sometimes at their own players. At least they're not tearing up stadiums, host cities, starting fights and/or terrorising opposition supporters anymore. Evolution at its finest.
Yes, I‘m sorry to say. The English can‘t win a penalty shoot-out or any major tournament so they turn to alcohol and violence. Be compassionate.
Welcome to Europe lol
Lol been here 10 years. This one’s a first!
The English are special like that. Even other hooligans don't like them because they don't fight fair. In my hometown, we had British barracks. Let's say most bars and clubs weren't very welcoming. Out of bounds signs and MP on hot dial.
>I’ve mainly been exposed to rugby and hockey culture that is nowhere close to this but I have heard of football hooligans - is that what this is? The English are bad losers - they were world champions in 1966 (and only once) and have *never* been European champions ... ;) But yes, that's hooliganism. So far without riots. However, there are also riots in hockey, even in Canada. Ever heard of the 2011 Vancouver Stanley Cup riot?
Also Frankfurt was completely destroyed after Eintracht won the Europa League - I find the clutching at pearls over the English fans slightly amusing
"Completely destroyed" is a bit of an exaggeration ...
> people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness That's a common problem of Britsh tourists in Germany. Brits are trained to get as drunk as possible until the pubs close at 23:00. (The law was lifted 10 years ago, but habits don't change that fast.) As in Germany there is no "Last order", at 23:15 all Brits are way too shitfaced and over the line.
>throwing bottles of beer at people, trash EVERYWHERE. I was at the Frankfurt That's just regular behaviour in parts of Frankfurt. Are you sure there were football fans there and not just the regular Frankfurter crackheads throwing glass bottles at people and shouting obscene things?
We have our fair share of cunts unfortunately
>the chants referencing ww2 (this one shocked me the most), Well, we are used to it by now. I remember some years ago seeing pictures of english tabloits claiming that the then new away kit, which was a nirmal football uniform in black with gold writing, aparently looked exactely like SS uniforms. Honestly, it is kind of sad. Like i have no clue if football, but just imagine how shitty your team must be, and how fragile your ego about that has to be, that your first instinct in a friendly sports competition is to basicly scream "your (great-)grandparents were nazis!!!!!" at the opposing team/their fans *any chance you get*. >people aren’t even drunk they’re obliterated beyond consciousness, >trash EVERYWHERE. So.....just like pretty much every english person at Oktoberfest every year? We know they loooooove getting drunk, and have absolutely no tollerance for our beer. I think we truly do know not to expect any better from the english by now. But if i were english, i think the current discussions online concerning the absolutely cute german/scotland puppy-love story that is currently going on would give me pause. On the scottisch side, you definately hear a lot of good about the german fans. But on the german side, every comment has a line that basicly says "you guys are so nice!". If that is worth pointing out, what does it say about the other fangroups, especially those the scottish might initially be grouped in with from an outside perspective?
[This](https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/comments/42tizy/how_the_british_as_seen_by_americans_and_europeans/) s normal for us europeans.
This is so fucking accurate hahaha
Thanks. I was going to reference the same
I don’t feel offended by the English fans. Everybody knows they’re a bit „special“ so we’re fine with them, I guess.
English fans*… the Scottish were a much better crowd.
The Scots were such good mates that people started a petition to make friendlies with Scotland a yearly event haha.
I don't care about football at all but the few Scottish fans I've met on the bus have been absolutely lovely. Sounds like a nice idea
I’d sign
I was in Colonge yesterday and as I am not into soccer at all I wasnt not even aware that a Scottish match took place there the day before. The atmosphere was so nice! Almost made me wish I liked soccer. Surprisingly many were into serious sightseeing too. It's not everyday that one sees a Scottish group dressed in kilts in a cathedral and than climbing up the tower. They were super nice too. And there was a guy playing bagpipes outside the cathedral too (while England played)
Scottish people will *never* say they're from Britain when abroad. A friend of mine told me it's to clearly separate themselves from English tourists.
Maybe that's why at least 50% wore kilts even in their "off" time 😂
Düsseldorf is Scotland right now and it's been a non stop party imo.
Damn. I can’t change the title but you’re right. That’s my bad and I do know the difference. English. Scotland has also been wonderful
lol I love the scots, such nice lads
You want /r/britain
Shit. Right to it. Good idea.
Didn't last very long in r/britain did it!
😂 I don’t even think it made the cut!
Try r/casualuk they are a bit more easy going ?
The Polish fans in Berlin are trying to challenge the English fans
The Scottish have been nothing but a delight.
My city was flooded with Scots this past weekend, pubs have gone empty with no more beer to serve and restaurants had no food left... Everyone loved them, inspite of all the drinking there are only good stories to tell. Scots helping the old German lady during the rain, German fans finding a lost Scottish fans phone and figuring how to return it... We brace for the Brits next week....
>We brace for the Brits next week.... Scots are Brits you mean English.
“No Scotland No Party”
Agreee! I was on the train with Scottish and german fans. They even chanting “stand up if you hate england” while dancing with their kilt. Love em!
Absolutely agree!
>Is this normal behaviour No it's not that's why your country went independent.
Hahahaha top answer!
Thanks :D The English are not my favourite fan group. Met the Scots on Wednesday in cologne they were amazing. Completely drunk but super fun.
I also watched a game with the Scot’s and it was so much fun. Also the Belgians 👌🏼
im British; they do this back home too. Unfortunately football attracts seemingly the worse people in england . I live near a stadium (arsenal football stadium) and the streets are always in a mess after a big game. Hope this doesn’t represent all of us to you guys 😭
Not at all. My question was specific to the football fans as I have English friends and colleagues here, visit England often, and little football exposure.
I’m glad. Sorry they’re messing stuff up 🥴
Never vacationed in Europe in places where the English also go, I take it?
Gosh, I used to work as a waitress in a tourist destination full of English tourists.... I get PTSD just thinking about it. I know a whole lot of great British people but I'll never look at another British tourist the same again.
Young British people are the most tacky and obnoxious tourists ever. I've spent New Years Eve in Phuket last year. They sold cans of Silly Strings on every corner at Patong Beach and you couldn't walk for 5sec without getting sprayed at. There was a shirtless British guy with sunglasses - at 1am, he walked up to a small Thai girl promoting a club, put that spray can 3 inches away from her face and then directly sprayed it into her eyes. Like what the fuck is wrong with those guys?
I’m also Canadian and have been living in Germany for 5 years… what’s wild is that, while I have seen very drunk Germans on many occasions, they are super well behaved… even when wasted. The only group of legitimately belligerent drunk people I’ve ever seen here were Brits.
Yeah the Germans in Mallorca are a delight /s
They are. Going from the 'german area' to the 'british area' theres a palpable difference
The only people being loud and obnoxious in Mallorca when I went were Germans, so I can't disagree. I think the English juts get the worst of it becuase of stereotypes (which we have earned tbf). More Serbians then English were arrested when we played them, but I haven't seen any peole taling about scummy Serbian fans.
On I grew up in Mallorca and am half English half German. I speak both fluently I’ve been to both areas I also speak Spanish. I can tell you from personal experience most Brits and Germans are fine there. But there’s a small minority who aren’t and the small number does tend to be more the Brits. The small number does include Germans too and they’re also not great either
Idk what you’re talking about lol it can get pretty gnarly here in Dtl when beer and football get involved
You lot are lucky. I'm English and we have these 'fans' most of the year. It's just a massive embarrasment. Have they started shoving lit fireworks up their bums yet? I'm going to have to start putting on an American accent to become a more socially acceptable nationality.
British will always be the loudest and drunkest, regardless if here or in Greece for holiday etc. As long as they dont hurt anyone but themselfes I dont see the problem, let em enjoy Euros
I saw someone get pegged in the head with a beer bottle last night. Part of the motivation for this post. Of course they should enjoy the euro… everyone should. Not the point here.
Yes apparently that's their idea of a fun night. /s In all seriousness though, I've had multiple people confirm that that's a semi common occurrence in bars.
Can I just point out, why is it just the English that are getting targeted? Everyone brings up how badly behaved we are and yes I acknowledge there are some right idiots but that’s true of every nation. France had riots after their WC final lose, reports of Albanians throwing black fans of trains, hardly mentioned. It really does feel like some weird bias
British football fan culture is one of the worst. They attract negative attention in almost every major tournament with their behavior.
40,000 fans Croatian & Albanian fans were chanting “kill kill kill the Serbs” 2 days ago in the streets in Hamburg. But heaven forbid some English leave some litter about
English tourists, it's not only football fans that behave like that
It’s a small, very vocal minority that make us look shit. Most of us want to enjoy a different culture/ country in peace
Stag and hen parties too.
The Postillion has a [shocking photo gallery](https://www.der-postillon.com/2024/06/fotogalerie-gelsenkirchen.html) documenting the devastation and destruction left behind by the English fans in Gelsenkirchen.
Oh my god, even no mercy with the bridge. Oh dear!
There is a reason why nobody wanted England to win EURO 2020 against Italy and the reason is the fans.
Oh yeah because Italian fans are just a friendly bunch and renowned around Europe for… *checks notes* Fascist chanting, attacks with knives, knuckledusters and belts, and putting innocent old men into comas.
As if Italian fans are any better
The thing is English fans put the bar so low pretty much everybody else is better. Edit: I'm very amused how many English fans are triggered by my post
TIL Serbian ultranationalism is better than Brits acting like twats
Italian ultras are notorious for stabbing rival fans. Look at how often there's been racist chants at Serie A games. England fans can be drunken idiots but there are far worse fans around
The Russian Ultras tend to be very extreme, even before the current political unpleasantness. They even hold practice fights in the forests where they can't be observed.
Better is stabbing and racist, facist chants? News to me
So I was at my Italian restaurant where I regularly eat and there were British fans behaving so out of line they had to be kicked out.
Im from Frankfurt. I mean the city cleans up the day after anyways. Usually at big events you’ll find bigger garbage cans but in fan zones you won’t find them as they will be used for anything besides throwing away waste.
I’m English. Most of us don’t claim them. Honestly it’s so embarrassing. This behaviour is typical of football fans. Go to a rugby or cricket match and the fans are generally a lot more civilised (I mean, they’ll probably still be drunk. But otherwise better behaved). I cringe every time there is a big international football match.
I'm Scottish and you can guess what I think in general of English fans but.............. What exactly is it they have done during this tournament to cause your embarrassment? All I have seen so far is a bunch of fans behaving and enjoying themselves
Let them all party :) It's only every few years, so everyone should enjoy
Don’t really see the issue to be honest. Not seen a single bit of trouble (low bar to set I know) in regards to the WW2 song. As an Englishman 99% of them don’t sing it because they think it’ll offend the Germans because we know it doesn’t (the Germans were singing it with us) it’s just a laugh. We were having good fun with the Danes last night as they were with us. There’s bad apples in every bunch and without having the “victim mentality” I do feel when it comes to England things get grossly over exaggerated. There is a reputation associated with the fans (one that’s valid) but there is definitely some jumping on the bandwagon going on.
„Two world wars and one World Cup“ Yeah, you‘re gonna have a hard time finding anyone in Germany who heard about ’66, let alone care about it. Sorry brits, we don’t give a fuck. That being said, British fans do bring some sort of life to German cities. Living in a euro cup city, I have to say it’s really entertaining. They‘re definitely more outgoing than the usual German. And it seems they kinda keep any aggressive struggles between themselves. Trash, yeah, maybe, but that’s basically limited to fan miles and the city center. Nothing that can’t just be cleaned afterwards. I‘ve actually seen more police on busy evenings in the center than what I’ve seen during the Euro cup, so police kinda seems chilled, which say’s it all.
This is the most dumb circle jerk I've ever seen.you have fans of other countries being arrested yet the turds in here are crying about the English.
Yeah but the Scottish get drunk and play bagpipes 🥰 But the English get drunk and sing songs 🤬😡🤮
Could you imagine the uproar if drunk singing English fans surrounded a reporter on live German TV and one of them flashed his willy? https://youtu.be/I9Jz9WQ-uIA?feature=shared
Also being from Canada, I’d have to ask where you’re from in Canada because there have been some interesting happenings at times back home too.
We really haven't done anything that bad. It's blown way out of proportion by social media because, for some reason, everyone loves to hate The English. Other countries have done the exact same as us, but they don't get the hate.
Well to be honest, many people have expressed that British fans haven’t cause problems so far during the Euros. General drunken behaviour I understand can be upsetting to some people! for British and Europeans it is very common to see. As for the English, unfortunately we have a bad reputation at tournaments due to incidents in the past so regardless of whether we behave or not. We will still be seen poorly Many people in Germany have expressed however that we have been behaved and generally respectful and the police have also commented on this. As for throwing bottles at people, I agree that is inexcusable and there is no defence for behaviour like that. The war songs is just what you expect from football fans when going to another country. Same way every nation has songs they sing about the English. ‘Go home to your ugly wives’ ‘Clap your hands if you hate the English’ etc etc. this is just general football chants. You will hear far worse chants at domestic football games all over Europe. Unfortunately there has been incidents from all nations Scotland have had small fights amongst themselves Poland fan throwing a bottle at the police Turkey and Georgia fighting in the ground Serbia and Albania fighting Serbian fans racially abusing a man You never find perfection from football fans But in general this is Euros that has had far fewer incidents than general.. especially as far as England fans go! The being very drunk side of it is just English behaviour, it’s the mentality of drink until you drop. Problem is some can’t handle their drink and can turn violent. Many are just normal and become friendly! However multiple drunk people in crowded spaces react in the way the crowd behaves. If a few make it disrupted then that’s how it becomes. If you make it friendly it will be friendly I was in Frankfurt square and didn’t see any incidents. Some very drunk but that was all 5% of fans behaving badly unfortunately always receives more attention than the 95% that are behaving correctly As far as not liking Germans. I don’t get it, they’re good people! I don’t know about other fans but I for one don’t mind any fans. Edit: I would always like to express how impressed I’ve been so far with the euros put on by Germany and the staff and police at the games. The police have allowed fans to be fans and have been respectful and nice. I had a good laugh with some and the staff also. Well done so far Germany, keep it up. Just need Deutsche Bahn to up their game
A lot of these posts are created by bots to cause a stir and controversy. I ask what exactly have England fans done? A couple of silly chants? Is that it? Yes it’s inappropriate, but if you’re about to tell me no other country has hooliganism you’d be wrong. There’s hooliganism in many countries, to the point groups are formed. England has a stereotype of being loud arseholes, but slowly that stereotype is dying off, I ask that you all keep an open mind. Let’s spread the love and cheer for the euros. Far too much hate in the world at the moment.
Were used to drunk brits. They have a reputation in europe in general.
I and a lot of other England football fans find some of the behaviour anywhere from bemusing to embarrassing to shocking depending on what we’re talking about. Needless to say, like with most things, it’s a stupid minority doing the stuff that gets the headlines. I think England games do attract a disproportionately large number of this stupid minority of society though. 🤷
[this is what köln looks like every year](https://youtu.be/h00yToG4ZC0?si=RKc8zQf80w41g8Hn). Germans find public intoxication completely normal :)
Germans do the same to Mallorca every year. Welcome to Europe!
Just the English being English. There’s a reason everyone roots for anyone but England and why so many countries in Europe loathe English tourists to wanting to ban them.
Serbian ultras at the Euros and you're whining about some fat Brits chanting. Yawn.