Football Fans at Wembley Boo Over Minute's Silence for Victims of Brussels and Israel at Qualifier
- 6 months ago
Boos echoed around some sections of Wembley on Tuesday night as England and Italy players observed a minute of silence before kick-off in a tribute to those affected by Monday's terror attack in Brussels and the ongoing crisis in Israel.
Belgium's game against Sweden was abandoned at halftime on Monday night when news broke that a gunman was at large in Brussels after killing two Swedish fans. Police eventually shot the attacker dead on Tuesday morning.
Thousands of supporters were kept locked inside the King Baudouin Stadium for their own safety before being released in the early hours of the morning.
Tributes began to follow in honor of the two victims who tragically lost their lives, with England and Italy players also paying their respects before Tuesday's fixture.
UEFA confirmed plans to observe what they described as a 'moment of silence' via their official X channel earlier in the day, with supporters gathered inside Wembley stadium asked to respect the occasion as well. Some supporters, however, did not.
The European governing body tweeted: 'A moment of silence will be observed at all UEFA EUR0 2024 qualifying matches tonight, in memory of the two victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Brussels ahead of the match between Belgium and Sweden.'
However, the silence was interrupted at times when sections of fans around the ground were heard shouting while the moment was being observed.
Boos were audible around some upper sections of the Wembley stands as football sought to pay its respects.
Aggravated fans breaking the silence shouted and booed, while others in the ground attempted to pay their respects despite the audible interruptions. Some clapped in a bid to drown out the boos.
The crowd then encouragingly roared both teams on at the end of the remembrance silence, however social media blasted the culprits in the ground who failed to show respect.
One critic labelled the booing as 'unacceptable' adding: 'Why do idiots have to ruin a minute’s silence?? Unacceptable.'
Another added: 'Any England fan booing/jeering the one minute’s silence is a disgraceful human being.'
A third comment scathed the silence-breakers as 'total morons' in light of the tragic circumstances precuring the match, stating: 'If you boo anyone's national anthem, you are a bit of a moron. And if you whistle and shout during a minute's silence, you're a total moron. Shameful behavior!'
Belgium's game against Sweden was abandoned at halftime on Monday night when news broke that a gunman was at large in Brussels after killing two Swedish fans. Police eventually shot the attacker dead on Tuesday morning.
Thousands of supporters were kept locked inside the King Baudouin Stadium for their own safety before being released in the early hours of the morning.
Tributes began to follow in honor of the two victims who tragically lost their lives, with England and Italy players also paying their respects before Tuesday's fixture.
UEFA confirmed plans to observe what they described as a 'moment of silence' via their official X channel earlier in the day, with supporters gathered inside Wembley stadium asked to respect the occasion as well. Some supporters, however, did not.
The European governing body tweeted: 'A moment of silence will be observed at all UEFA EUR0 2024 qualifying matches tonight, in memory of the two victims of yesterday’s terrorist attack in Brussels ahead of the match between Belgium and Sweden.'
However, the silence was interrupted at times when sections of fans around the ground were heard shouting while the moment was being observed.
Boos were audible around some upper sections of the Wembley stands as football sought to pay its respects.
Aggravated fans breaking the silence shouted and booed, while others in the ground attempted to pay their respects despite the audible interruptions. Some clapped in a bid to drown out the boos.
The crowd then encouragingly roared both teams on at the end of the remembrance silence, however social media blasted the culprits in the ground who failed to show respect.
One critic labelled the booing as 'unacceptable' adding: 'Why do idiots have to ruin a minute’s silence?? Unacceptable.'
Another added: 'Any England fan booing/jeering the one minute’s silence is a disgraceful human being.'
A third comment scathed the silence-breakers as 'total morons' in light of the tragic circumstances precuring the match, stating: 'If you boo anyone's national anthem, you are a bit of a moron. And if you whistle and shout during a minute's silence, you're a total moron. Shameful behavior!'