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From Arsenal and Chelsea to Liverpool, these football kits have the most bonkers inspiration
by Philippa Kaur 21 January 2022, 21:51
ARSENAL have gone underground for their new kit – and copied the blue and white seat pattern from the Piccadilly tube line which runs past their Emirates Stadium in North London for their pre-match strip.The design has met with mixed feelings from fans, with one likening it to “dusty train seat covers”. But it could have been worse – here we show how other clubs have been torn off a strip by fans for design kit-astrophes ranging from chewy sweets to spilt ketchup.
Arsenal have gone underground for their new kit…
The Gunners copied the blue and white seat pattern from the Piccadilly tube line which runs past their Emirates Stadium
Picture research: Amy Reading
How many stops to Scunthorpe?
This 1992 strip belonged to Scunthorpe United and featured a geometric pattern that was just like the seats on the local buses
The seats of inspiration for Scunthorpe
FOOTBALL kit designers have been inspired by public transport for decades, it seems. This 1992 strip belonged to Scunthorpe United and featured a geometric pattern that was just like the seats on the local buses. Luckily for fans, it was only a short wait until another one came along . . .
Chelsea park the bus
Chelsea were ribbed for this 2019/2020 strip
Social media users compared it to a Stagecoach bus seat
CHELSEA were ribbed for their 2019/20 strip, worn on the right here. Social media users compared it to a Stagecoach bus seat. Not quite the transport the elite players are used to.
Room for one more top on
This Manchester United kit looked familiar to public transport users
As this bus seat proves
MANCHESTER United were another club that caught the bus bug. When they unveiled the home kit for the 20/21 season, bosses were torn to shreds by fans on social media.
The club’s signature red kit featured small yellow and black rectangles that looked like a bus seat – and was swiftly ditched.
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Did you feed the Canary?
There are plenty of subs when Norwich play…
Subway and the Canaries do seem to share a colour scheme
WHAT do Norwich City FC and Subway have in common? Apart from the fact that they both make the odd sub, they also share a colour scheme.
The Canaries have sported a yellow and green strip since the club chairman – a canary breeder – took it over in 1907.
It’s just unfortunate that the players now get likened to a fast food wrapper.
Fans in a Mac attack
Liverpool fans were quick to spot the similarity to a certain fast food provider
Even McDonald’s tweeted the club, saying: ‘OMG I love your top, where did you get it’
THIS season Liverpool fans were quick to liken the club’s third kit to fast-food clown Ronald McDonald’s outfit. Besides the yellow top with red detailing, in promotional shots the players posed in front of red and white checks. Even McDonald’s tweeted: ‘OMG I love your top, where did you get it’. But not everyone was lovin’ it.
Saints’ professional fowl
Look out for fowls in the box…
Southampton’s 2015/16 kit was likened to a KFC bucket
IN another fast food fiasco, Southampton’s 2015/16 kit was likened by fans to a KFC takeaway bucket.
However, the Saints’ red and white kit goes back a lot further than the US food chain. The football team started in 1885, whereas Colonel Sanders didn’t start flogging fried chicken in Kentucky until 1952.
Bilbao’s sauce of amusement
In 2004 the Spanish club invited an artist to design a strip based on art in the city’s Guggenheim Museum
Meant to signify a splatter of blood, the shirt was likened more to a splash of ketchup.
TO mark Athletic Bilbao’s centenary, in 2004 the Spanish club invited an artist to design a strip based on art in the city’s Guggenheim Museum.
Meant to signify a splatter of blood, the shirt was likened more to a splash of ketchup.
Here Javier Casas is trying to play football while looking like he should be accompanied by a chip. It was only worn for one tournament before it was benched.
City’s Salad days
Sweet connection with the ball…
The 2019 pink and yellow kit was likened to old-fashioned sweetsCredit: Alamy
MAN City legend Sergio Aguero loves his fashion and tends to dress in top brands such as Balenciaga or Gucci. So he and the rest of the squad were ridiculed for this 2019 pink and yellow kit which fans likened to old-fashioned sweets. Were they Drumstick lollies? Or Fruit Salads? Or Rhubarb and Custards? Hard to chews . . .
Watch Arsenal legend Ian Wright punch Roy Keane poster during tour of Man Utd dressing room More
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These famous faces are the spitting image of Panini football sticker stars – how many did you have in your collection?
by Philippa Kaur 20 January 2022, 20:44
GOT any swaps? Or maybe they’re swappelgangers.This weekend The Sun is giving away FREE Premier League Panini stickers.
We look at footie stickers from days gone by and found some of the old stars bear a resemblance to modern celebs
Queen’s Freddie Mercury and Argentine player Isidoro San Jose knew a thing or two about playing Under PressureCredit: Redferns
So we took a look at footie stickers from days gone by and found some of the old stars bear a resemblance to modern celebs.
Katy Docherty brings you the matches of the day.
SHAKEN NOT SCORED
The name’s Thom – Andreas ThomCredit: Panini
If Daniel Craig had ever needed a spare stunt double for his role as 007, the German star and Celtic player would have been a shoo-in based on his looks aloneCredit: Getty
TO ME, TWO YOU
Telly’s Chuckle Brothers, Paul and Barry ChuckleCredit: Rex Features
The duo double up as Belgian K. R. C. Genk player Rene van Becelaere
And also look like Berto Bosch
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’TASHING GENTLEMEN
Unbelieavble, Geoff! If you were Wanderer-ing what had happened to Wolves right back Geoff Palmer…Credit: Panini
…it appears he has morphed into Sacha Baron Cohen’s moustachioed comic character BoratCredit: Getty
THE X-TRIALS
X-Files actor David Duchovny and Romanian full-back Dan Petrescu could be one and the same person
There’s no evidence to support that theory. But as they say – the truth is out there . . .Credit: Sky
SAVE 4 U
Has there ever been a Stronger resemblance to the young Britney Spears?
But it’s doubtful Argentine Real Madrid midfielder Esteban Cambiasso could pull off wearing a red latex jumpsuit like hersCredit: Getty
ANNIE BALL
One’s a bit left-field, while the other’s midfield. But US movie director Woody Allen and Belgian player Leo van Soom have one thing in common…
… both of them clearly have Seventies specs appealCredit: Rex
FAWLTY VISION
Belgium’s Herman Fransen, seen here in 1977, really does look like he could have been brought on as a substitute for the Monty Python team…
…if John Cleese sustained an injury doing a silly walkCredit: Alamy
FOUL YOU DOIN’?
Did Seventies player Friedhelm Otters get a Manhattan transfer later in his career?Credit: Panini
The German midfielder is the double of Matt LeBlanc – maybe he just has Friends in high placesCredit: Getty
STARK LIFE
Dane Michael Laudrup is more used to a game of throw-ins than Game Of ThronesCredit: Panini
But there is no denying the former Juventus player’s resemblance to TV’s Lord Eddard Stark – AKA actor Sean BeanCredit: Getty
GOAL LOTTA LOVE
Led Zeppelin rocker Robert Plant has a French connection in the form of Pierre Pleimelding – a striker who played for France in 1978
Going by their big barnets, both were a-head of the gameCredit: Rex
Brentford boss Frank slams poor Man Utd after ‘destroying them in the first-half’ of 3-1 defeat More
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Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence – with the drug found at every stadium we tested
by Philippa Kaur 30 December 2021, 06:32
FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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“It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
“Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
“It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
“People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
“Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
The independent review by former Government drugs tsar Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
“I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
“Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
“It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
“You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
“It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
“I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
“It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
“Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
“If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
“Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”
We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More
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Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence – with the drug found at every stadium tested
by Philippa Kaur 29 December 2021, 07:44
FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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“It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
“Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
“It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
“People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
“Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
The independent review by former Government drugs tsar Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
“I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
“Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
“It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
“You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
“It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
“I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
“It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
“Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
“If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
“Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”
We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More
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Football thugs high on cocaine fuelling terrifying surge in violence at stadiums
by Philippa Kaur 28 December 2021, 21:00
FOOTBALL thugs high on cocaine are fuelling a terrifying surge in violence at stadiums, a Sun investigation has found.Every ground we swabbed had traces of the class A drug, which sparked the shameful scenes at Wembley in July’s showpiece Euro 2020 final.
Sun reporter Liam Coleman holding up a cocaine detection wipe at an Arsenal game at Emirates stadium
Police chiefs are now calling for tougher punishments for cocaine users at grounds — including more use of bans — to prevent a return to the hooliganism seen in the 1980s.
Britain’s top football cop, Chief Constable Mark Roberts, warned that more fans than ever were taking the drug at games, creating a “toxic mix” of violence.
He said: “As we see more violent incidents, cocaine is one of those factors along with alcohol that will make it worse, and make people more violent.”
One supporter also said cocaine at football was so rife that fans even snort it in their seats.
We discovered lines had been racked up on top of loo roll holders at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea, while our reporter was offered “charlie” outside a Brighton match earlier this month.
At The Etihad — home of Premier League champions Manchester City — empty drug bags and one containing cocaine were found on a cubicle floor. Traces of the drug were also found on top of toilets at Arsenal’s Emirates stadium.
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Our findings come after an FA report last month revealed cocaine was the catalyst for thousands of ticketless fans storming Wembley for the England-Italy Euro final.
Fans were openly snorting the drug at the showpiece event, with one yob bragging to The Sun how he put a lit flare in his bum during a 15-hour drug-fuelled bender.
Charlie Perry, 25, boasted how he had “banged a load of powder” during the big day and was then filmed firing off the flare in footage that went viral.
Just before the pandemic, cocaine binges were blamed for a 45 per cent increase in trouble at football grounds over the previous two years — including violence, pitch invasions and assaults on players.
However, cops and fans say more coke than ever is being snorted at grounds — which was backed up by our probe. Sun reporter Liam Coleman used cocaine detection wipes on surfaces in loos at Man City, Spurs, Brighton, Chelsea and Arsenal this month — with 44 out of the 58 swabbed cubicles testing positive for cocaine.
Mr Roberts told The Sun clubs are looking at installing specialist surfaces in toilets to make it harder to take drugs, as well as bringing in more sniffer dogs.
MORE COCAINE THAN EVER
However, the officer — head of football policing for England and Wales — admitted it was tough to catch users.
He said: “Cocaine is now more common in broader society than ever before, and that includes football clubs and football fans.
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“It’s an issue with society, but that being said it is then clearly going to impact football as well.
“Where people are high on emotions which you do get in football, and then you add in cocaine use, that’s a pretty toxic mix as how people behave and it often leads to extreme violence.”
He wants a Football Banning Order for anyone caught with drugs in a ground. Breaching one of those is a criminal offence, punishable by up to six months in prison.
There are currently around 1,400 orders active across the UK, but Mr Roberts believes a bigger push would see a drop in drug use.
It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on peopleChief Constable Mark Roberts
However, he added: “It’s really difficult to police, frankly, unless you do full-body searches on people, and then you’re still probably not going to find it anyway.
“It’s something that’s easy to smuggle into the ground.
“People can discreetly take it, probably easier than drinking a pint, so the hope will be we work with clubs and identify measures to make it just a bit harder for fans to take drugs.
“Whether that is putting liquids on toilet cisterns, having regular checks and sniffer dogs at every ground.” Recommendations from the Euro 2020 report included stronger police powers against the use of illegal drugs.
The independent review by former Government drugs tsar Baroness Casey slammed the thousands of football fans “fuelled by alcohol and drugs”.
Experts at Oxford University have confirmed that cocaine use makes supporters more aggressive at football matches.
‘DOING BUMPS IN THE STANDS’
One survey revealed that more than 30 per cent of fans had witnessed cocaine being taken inside a stadium — with six per cent admitting to personal use.
However, drug possession or use was reported at only 103 of 2,663 regulated matches in England and Wales over the entire 2019-20 season, with the vast majority — 81 per cent — involving cocaine.
Despite clubs promising tougher measures on stopping drugs being brought into grounds, one fan claimed cocaine usage was rife before and during games.
The supporter, who does not want to be named, told The Sun: “You see huge queues in the toilets, you see them doing bumps off keys in the stands, or just off their hands. It’s everywhere.
“I’ve never known it like this before, and it just feels like it’s getting worse and worse.”
All the clubs where we found traces of drugs told The Sun they condemned use. Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal, said they had sniffer dogs in place at every match and that fans were searched using security wands before entering the ground.
Another Premier League club said they use dogs outside away turnstiles for every game and on occasions outside home turnstiles.
Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat itPremier League Spokesperson
Bosses at Tottenham Hotspur described the drug issue as a “societal problem” and that it took a zero-tolerance approach to drugs in the stadium.
The club, where a fan was photographed appearing to snort a line of cocaine on the pitch in 2017, also said it works closely with the Metropolitan Police on drug-related issues, and anyone found with illegal substances are banned.
Meanwhile, bosses at Brighton and Hove Albion said it was “increasingly concerned” about the use of cocaine at matches.
The club added: “We will continue to take all necessary and possible steps to prevent any illegal substance coming into our stadium, and we will continue to impose very severe sanctions on anyone found to be carrying or using any illegal substance in or around our stadium.”
The Premier League said it also condemns the use of drugs at stadiums, and its clubs are working alongside police to tackle the problem. A spokesman said: “Possession or use of cocaine is a criminal offence and can result in a football banning order. Ground regulations clearly state that drugs are prohibited and measures such as detection dogs are used frequently to combat it.
“Our clubs continue to work closely with police on this issue.”
Coke & booze go hand in hand with violence
FANS can spend up to £300 a week on drugs for each match, one Premier League club supporter said.
The season ticket-holder, who wanted his identity hidden, said: “Class As are becoming more prevalent, there’s more of a buzz for it these days. It’s beers, as much coke as possible, everyone is bang on it.
“It’s the only thing that will straighten you out after a day on the booze, it’s what you need.
“You don’t want pills, you will start loving people. Coke and booze go hand in hand with violence, it’s what we all want.
“It’s also just the nature of the football. You get boozed up all day, and then do the gear.”
The fan added: “They get it in bulk. If it’s a home game then you’re more likely to get a few grams in, but away days you’re talking lots more.
“I know blokes who go with their kids and they still do it.
“It’s so easy to get it both inside and outside the ground
“Football is like going clubbing but during the day, and spending all day with close pals and they share the same passions, which bring you closer together.
“If you’re all sharing the gear and the booze, then it brings you closer together.
“Unless they get sent behind bars for years like they did with the hooligans, it’s not going to make a blind bit of difference.”
We found traces of coke in ten of 14 toilet cubicles in the South Stand of the Eithad Stadium during Man City v Leeds, Dec 14
During a Chelsea game against Everton on December 16, five out of the six loo-roll holders wiped in the Matthew Harding Lower Stand in Standford Bridge went blue, meaning cocaine was present
Eleven of 14 toilets had traces of cocaine with lines on roll holders in the bathrooms at Tottenham stadium
Five of six cubicles in the West Stand at Brighton’s Amex stadium had traces of cocaine – our reporter was also offered drugs
Stewards replace barricades after they were knocked over by supporters outside Wembley Stadium in London, during the Euro 2020 final match between England and Italy, on July 11, 2021Credit: AP
Moment England hero Harry Maguire’s dad’s ribs were broken in a horror crush during the security meltdown at the Euro 2020 Final at Wembley More
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Inside Max Verstappen’s relationship with dad Jos who was once arrested for attempted murder
by Philippa Kaur 13 December 2021, 21:28
WHEN young upstart Max Verstappen sprayed fizz from the podium in Abu Dhabi as seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton looked on glumly, it marked the start of a new era in Formula One.The championship winner’s aggressive driving and outspoken comments have already riled many, including his British rival — and the young Dutchman admits his attitude comes from his fearsome father.
Critics believe the unusual decision was to create drama for the F1 documentary Netflix was filming, Drive To SurviveCredit: AFP
Jos ‘the Boss’ Verstappen, 49, is a former F1 driver with a violent pastCredit: Refer to Caption
Jos “the Boss” Verstappen, 49, is a former F1 driver with a violent past, including an arrest for attempted murder, who has brutally driven on the career of his son.
And The Sun can reveal that the three-times-married father of five has been accused of taking his tough love approach to parenting too far.
Now the animosity between his son Max, 24, and Lewis, 36, could even outstrip the classic rivalries dotted throughout motor racing history — James Hunt v Niki Lauda in 1970s, Nigel Mansell v Nelson Piquet in the ’80s and 1990s aces Michael Schumacher v Mika Hakkinen.Red Bull driver Max paid tribute to his dad after his win on Sunday, which saw him claim his first championship after he controversially overtook Hamilton on the final lap of the final race of the season.
Fighting back tears, he said: “My goal when I was little was to become a Formula One driver. You hope for wins, you hope to be on the podium and that, when they play the national anthem, you hope one day they play yours.
“And when you stand here and they tell you, you are the champion, it is something incredible.
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“Especially also my dad, some of the special moments we had here. All the things come to your mind, all the years we spent travelling for that goal and then everything comes together in the last lap. It’s insane.”
Jos, a former team-mate of F1 legend Schumacher, boasted that Sunday’s so-called “stolen” win — slammed by critics and subject of a possible legal action by Mercedes — is in his son’s DNA.
He said: “Max really deserved this championship. He kept fighting. He will always fight, that’s in his DNA, I guess.” Their relationship has not always been so cordial.
In 2012, when Max was just 15, his dad kicked him out of his van as punishment for crashing in the second lap of a world championship kart race in Sarno, near Naples, Italy.
The teen was abandoned at a petrol station until he was picked up by his mum, go-karting champion Sophie Kumpen, according to reports, and did not speak to his dad for a week.
Max later recalled: “I should have won that race easily. On the first lap, someone overtook me and I wanted to regain my position on the next lap.
“I tried to pass on a very fast turn. He didn’t see me and we hit.
“My dad worked very hard that weekend and I threw it all away. He was very angry and didn’t talk to me. On the way home, about five miles away, he said something to me and we ended up arguing.”
Jos admitted: “I didn’t speak to him for six or seven days.
“I knew what I was doing. I think it helped him and shaped him. It is not my job to advise him now.”
Jos is clearly not afraid of confrontation and in recent weeks he has been pouring fuel on the fire of his son’s rivalry
Jos inherited his no-nonsense approach to parenting from his own tough guy father Frans, a publican and later ice-cream parlour owner from southern Holland.
In 1998, just a year after Max was born, Jos and his dad were each given five-year suspended jail sentences for fracturing a man’s skull.
They reached an out-of-court settlement with the unnamed 45-year-old victim, who was part of a group that had been arguing with the Verstappens about who got to use a karting track in the Belgian town of Lanaken.
In December 2008, Jos was back in court in Tongeren having been charged with assaulting his wife of 12 years — Max’s mum — when his son was 11.
He was accused of using threatening language and there were also claims that his estranged wife’s tyres had been damaged three times.
Jos was cleared of assault but found guilty of sending threatening text messages and of violating a previous restraining order. He was fined and sentenced to three months probation.
In November 2011 it was reported that Jos assaulted his unnamed 24-year-old girlfriend in a hotel room in Venlo, Holland, after an argument got out of hand.
He denied the allegations saying: “There has been an altercation, yes, that’s all.” Then, in January 2012, he was arrested for attempted murder following claims that he drove a car into his ex-girlfriend in the Dutch city of Roermond.
He was released after two weeks in jail when the charge was withdrawn due to a lack of evidence.Jos is clearly not afraid of confrontation and in recent weeks he has been pouring fuel on the fire of his son’s rivalry.
He slammed Hamilton’s Mercedes team after the Brit had a terrifying 180mph crash with his son at Silverstone this year. Max was in hospital having checks while Hamilton celebrated on the podium.
Jos said: “I never speak to Lewis. He doesn’t need to speak to me. I’m nothing to him. I respect him as a driver, but the rest . . . nothing.
“Max and Lewis only speak on the podium, very little. When I see Max with other drivers, I think they get on very well. But with Lewis, nothing. Lewis is in his own world.”
Max and Lewis are now neighbours in the tax haven of Monaco and would find they have a lot in common if they ever agreed to meet up for a drink.
So it was no wonder that Hamilton was so upset when, following Williams’ driver Nicholas Latifi’s smash five laps from the end of Sunday’s final Grand Prix, Max was allowed to overtake a safety car to catch him up for the last lap.
Critics believe the unusual decision was to create drama for the F1 documentary Netflix was filming, Drive To Survive. Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker tweeted afterwards: “What a joke. That stinks.”
Max and Lewis are now neighbours in the tax haven of Monaco and would find they have a lot in common if they ever agreed to meet up for a drink.
Hamilton was raised in Stevenage, Herts, and developed a passion for racing after his dad Anthony bought him a go-kart for Christmas when he was six.
Max started out riding a quad bike in his garden in the Belgian border town of Bree.
He was still a toddler when he threw such a bad tantrum demanding an upgrade that his mum phoned his dad, saying: “I think we have to buy Max a go-kart. Now.”
Hamilton’s dad worked multiple jobs to fund his son’s training and later became his manager.
Max spent winters skiing with F1 star Schumacher, 52, and his son Mick, now 22, until the race ace suffered serious brain injuries in a horror smash on the slopes of the French Alps.
When Max’s parents separated, he moved in with his dad. His sister Victoria, also a racing driver, lived with his mum.
Lewis became the first — and is still the only — black man to race in Formula One when he made his debut aged 23 in 2007.
Max was 17 years and 166 days old when he became the youngest ever F1 driver in 2015.
His aggressive style was branded “dangerous” in his early races — and his Brazilian model girlfriend Kelly Piquet, 33, admits it worries her.
There is nobody harder on me than my dad, no matter what other people say. It is never that hard, compared to himMax Verstappen
Kelly — the daughter of ex-F1 champ Nelson Piquet, and who has a daughter from a relationship with Russian driver Daniil Kvyat, 27 — said: “I’m always super-excited to support him but I am nervous that he doesn’t get hurt in an accident.”
Finnish rival Kimi Räikkönen, now 42, warned Max “was going to cause a huge accident sooner or later”.
Max’s mentor, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, 48, admitted his driving was “on the edge”.
There was more upset when, after a collision with Canadian Lance Stroll, 23, Max used the words “retard” and “mongol” over the team radio at the Portuguese GP in October last year and was forced to apologise.
Lewis sacked his father during an alleged falling out in 2010 — but Max appears closer than ever with his.
He recently said: “My attitude all comes from my dad.
“There is nobody harder on me than my dad, no matter what other people say. It is never that hard, compared to him.”
Jos is clearly not afraid of confrontation and in recent weeks he has been pouring fuel on the fire of his son’s rivalryCredit: Getty
Max and Lewis are now neighbours in the tax haven of Monaco and would find they have a lot in common if they ever agreed to meet up for a drinkCredit: Rex
The young Dutchman admits his attitude comes from his fearsome father
The teen was abandoned at a petrol station until he was picked up by his mum, go-karting champion Sophie Kumpen, according to reports
Max started out riding a quad bike in his garden in the Belgian border town of Bree
Red Bull driver Max paid tribute to his dad after his win on Sunday, which saw him claim his first championship after he controversially overtook Hamilton on the final lapCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Max Verstappen SNATCHES F1 world title from Lewis Hamilton on last lap in dramatic and controversial season enderWe pay for your stories!Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? More
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Man United ace Marcus Rashford launches £10 Xmas meal-for-six plan with chef Tom Kerridge – try it yourself
by Philippa Kaur 10 December 2021, 20:50
WHEN Man United star Marcus Rashford was a kid, his mum always made sure there was a special dinner on Christmas Day.But hard-working Melanie often had to go to the food bank for her family’s festive feast.
Happy chef Tom preparing a mouth-watering Christmas feastCredit: Bone Soup Productions
Marcus has won plaudits nationwide for his campaigning on food poverty among kidsCredit: PA
Growing up, fellow poverty campaigner Tom Kerridge never ate the lavish meals the customers of his Michelin-starred restaurants enjoy.
But at Christmas, his mother Jackie kept it traditional for him and his brother, serving up a Bernard Matthews turkey roast.
Now TV chef Tom, 48, and England ace Marcus, 24, have joined up to make sure every family, no matter their financial circumstances, can enjoy a hearty roast on December 25.
The pair have created a meal that can feed up to six people and costs just £10.
It’s been such a difficult 18 months for so many and we wanted to highlight the holidays as being a time for happiness and togetherness, as opposed to a period approached with anxiety and stress.Marcus Rashford
Marcus, who has been awarded an MBE for his anti-food poverty campaigning, tells The Sun: “It’s been such a difficult 18 months for so many and we wanted to highlight the holidays as being a time for happiness and togetherness, as opposed to a period approached with anxiety and stress.
“The holidays have the ability to put a smile on people’s faces, and the least they deserve is a hot Christmas dinner.
“Family activity can be restricted heavily by finances, so it’s nice to get them in the kitchen together creating memories.
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“People, now more than ever, also have to be super-conscious of electricity and gas bills.
“Tom has done a great job working with nutritionists to stretch ingredients as far as he can.”
As well as working several jobs, Marcus’s mum would occasionally skip meals in order to feed her five children. She turned to a local food bank in Manchester at Christmas.
He reveals: “Mum often relied on the food bank for Christmas dinner.“She was working three jobs. She was doing her best.
“We didn’t have a lot but we had each other, and mum wanted to make sure we had a Christmas dinner on the table.
“We would go and pick it up on Christmas Eve.
“There would be a massive queue. But it was all prepped and ready to go, which made it much easier. As long as we were together, that’s all that mattered.”
This month 2.3million children went to bed hungry in Britain, which is something the England hero hopes to prevent during what should be a time of comfort and joy.
Tom, who grew up on council estates in and around Gloucester, was entitled to free school meals, like Marcus.
His mum made sure Christmas felt special even when money was tight. Tom says: “Most Christmases it would be me, my mum and my younger brother, Sam.“We were very lucky, my mum never made me feel we went without. It was always a very caring and loving house.
“We normally used to have one of those Bernard Matthews turkey roasts, that would be our roast turkey dinner.”
Having worked in restaurants across the country for three decades, Tom knows all the best ingredients.
His expertise has made him a staple of television, appearing on shows such as the BBC’s Great British Menu.
Do your FareShare to fight child hungerTHE Full Time Meals campaign supports FareShare, the country’s largest food poverty charity network.
Marcus and Tom are urging people to donate £10, the cost of these Christmas meals, to fight hunger.
You can donate online via fareshare.org.uk/fulltime.
Or simply text 5FULL to 70580 to donate £5, 10FULL to 70580 to donate £10, or 20FULL to 70580 to donate £20. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate.
For more info on the Healthy Start scheme go to healthystart.nhs.uk
For his campaign with Marcus he has devised a Christmas dinner which includes a tasty turkey roll with stuffing and traybake veggies.
For Boxing Day there is a potato and carrot hash with fried eggs — and any turkey leftovers.
The two meals feed half a dozen people and come in at less than £10 if you use a Healthy Start voucher or card.
Part of the reason for this campaign is to raise awareness of the NHS scheme, because 40 per cent of those eligible have not signed up.
Healthy Start offers vouchers or a prepaid card to help women who are more than ten weeks pregnant or who have kids under four to buy nutritious food and milk and access to free vitamins.
My childhood isn’t too dissimilar to Marcus’s in that we both grew up in single-parent families an had mums who had more than one job. We both had free school meals.Tom Kerridge
But even if you do not qualify for the scheme, Tom and Marcus’s recipes will help anyone enjoy a celebratory meal on a budget.
As well as today’s recipes, we will be publishing four more in The Sun on Sunday and you can watch cook-along videos, explaining step-by-step instructions, at 11am tomorrow on the FullTimeMeals Instagram acount.
Tom says: “My childhood isn’t too dissimilar to Marcus’s in that we both grew up in single-parent families an had mums who had more than one job. We both had free school meals.
“This campaign is about making people’s lives a little bit easier. Everyone should be entitled to a special meal at Christmas.”
His mum Jackie worked as a secretary during the day and washed up in the pub in the evening, but always took time off over Christmas.
Tom also makes sure he has plenty of quality time with his own family, including wife Beth and five-year-old son Acey, during the festivities.
While many pub restaurants serve up lunch with all the trimmings on December 25, Tom closes. He says: “Christmas Day is amazing. I will be cooking dinner, tunes will be on, kids will be running around opening presents.”
This warm and loving scene is not possible for everyone. For those in debt, the idea of buying presents and forking out for ingredients is stressful.
Tom explains: “The reality for so many people is that Christmas can be awkward and uncomfortable. It can be very expensive.”
The turkey roll and Boxing Day veggie hash can be cooked by parents who are short of pots and pans too.
Tom says: “It’s not a whole turkey, it is steaks stuffed and roast veggies. It feels very Christmassy. It can all be cooked in one tray and doesn’t need a huge amount of work.
“You need to be realistic about the ingredients and the way you cook them.”With Tom’s help, Marcus has also developed his cooking skills and the pair hope the nation’s children will find joy in the kitchen.
Tom says: “We want to encourage everyone to have a go. We want kids to say ‘I cooked this meal’.”
Christmas turkey roll with stuffing and traybake veggies
Treat your family to a tasty and affordable Christmas day meal
SERVES 4-6
TIME: 2hrs 15mins
YOU NEED:
600g packet turkey breast steaks
8 medium carrots, topped and split lengthways
400g Brussel sprouts, halved
1 savoy cabbage, sliced roughly
Zest of half an orange
2 large pinches of gravy granules
1 pinch of ground pepper
For stuffing:
400g packet sausage meat
Half packet of sage and onion stuffing (85g pack)
For roast spuds and parsnips
8 potatoes, peeled and halved
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
6 tbsp vegetable oil
Pinch of salt (optional)
For gravy
4 tbsp low-salt gravy granules
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Large pack of cling film
Box grater
Peeler
Sharp knife
Chopping board
Mixing bowl
Roasting tray
Saucepan
METHOD:
Place a large sheet of cling film on to a chopping board, lay the turkey steaks on the cling film so they overlap each other. Lay a second sheet of cling film over the top of the turkey steaks then, with a saucepan, bash out and flatten the turkey to make a large rectangle sheet of turkey meat. Remove the top sheet of cling film from the turkey.
In a mixing bowl, add the sausage meat and stuffing mix. Stir until the stuffing is evenly mixed.
Grate the orange zest and sprinkle some gravy granules over the top of the flattened turkey.
Place the sausage stuffing approximately 1cm from the edge of the turkey sheet, so that it’s like a long, even sausage log. This is a bit like making a sausage roll but with turkey rather than pastry. Once the sausage mix is laid out, fold the turkey around it, using the cling film to keep its cylindrical shape. Tie off the cling film ends and pop it in the fridge for 30min to 1hr to firm up. This is our turkey roll.
While the turkey roll is resting, peel and cut all your veggies. Place the carrots, potatoes and parsnips on a baking tray, drizzle with the 6tbsp vegetable oil and pop into a pre-heated oven at 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5 for 10min. This will start to cook them and heat the oil.
Take your baking tray out of the oven, toss the veggies in the hot oil again then move them to the edges of the dish, allowing room for the turkey roll.
Remove the turkey from the cling fim and lay in the middle of the baking tray. Pop in the oven for 1 hour at 1190C/170C fan/gas mark 5.
While the turkey and veggies are roasting, put 600ml of water into a saucepan and bring to the boil. With a fork, whisk in the 4tbsp gravy granules and simmer for a minute or so. This will be used to brush on to the turkey as a glaze as well.
Fifteen minutes before the 1 hour is up, brush the turkey roll with a little gravy. This will roast up nicely, giving it a lovely finish.
Pop the turkey roll back in the oven for the remaining 15min.
Place a frying pan on the stove with a little splash of oil on a medium heat.
While the pan is heating, cut your sprouts into quarters then add them to the pan and fry them off for about 2 to 3min. Don’t stir them, just let them cook through so they brown slightly. Add the sliced cabbage on top and fry both for roughly 8min.
Stir them gently to help them steam through.
When ready, simply turn off the heat and put them to the side while the turkey finishes off.
Cover the turkey with tin foil and leave it to rest for 5min.
Carve the turkey roll and serve with the spuds, veggies and loads of gravy
Boxing Day potato and veggie hash with fried egg
This Boxing Day potato and veggie hash with fried egg can serve six
SERVES 6
TIME: Done in 1hr 30min
YOU NEED:
1 kg peeled potatoes
4 carrots, peeled
Half a packet of sage and onion stuffing
½ tsp salt
5 tbsp vegetable oil
6 eggs
Seasoning optional for the top of the eggs
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Non-stick frying pan (make sure it doesn’t have a plastic handle)
Large tray or bowl
Box grater
Peeler
Tea towel
Sharp knife
METHOD:
Place your clean tea towel over your baking tray and grate the carrots and potatoes on the coarse side of the box grater.
Season with ½ tsp salt and massage the veg altogether.
Then leave the salted potatoes and carrots for 5 minutes – this helps draw out the moisture from the veg.
Draw up the sides of the towel, to create a bag with the mixture inside. Over the sink, squeeze the towel to drain as much liquid as possible.
Tip the veg back on to the baking tray and stir in the stuffing mix. This will act as a binding agent, making it easier for everything to stick together while cooking.
Pre-heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5 and place the frying pan on the hob with half of the oil.
Press the hash mix into the pan, making sure you level the mix out as much as possible.
Slowly fry the hash for around 10min, just to set the crust and par-cook.
Place the frying pan into the oven and bake for 1hr to 1½ hrs.
Once the hash is ready, place a plate on top of the frying pan and flip it over.
Once the hash is on the plate, put tin foil over the top to keep warm.
Wipe the pan clean with a little kitchen towel and place the pan back on to the hob over a medium heat. Pour in the remaining oil.
Once the oil is just hot, crack in the eggs and slowly cook for 4 to 5min, spooning the hot fat over the yolks every now and then.
When ready, cut the potato hash into six chunky wedges and serve the fried eggs on the side.
If you have any cold Turkey Roll left from yesterday, feel free to serve that with it – and maybe a good dollop of ketchup or brown sauce on the side.
Marcus Rashford is passionate about feeding hungry young children because he was once in their shoesCredit:
Chef Tom Kerridge grew up on a council estate and would have qualified for free school meals
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Inside England football’s day of shame as report reveals appalling behaviour before Euro 2020 final
by Philippa Kaur 3 December 2021, 21:34
A YOB hijacked a disabled child in a wheelchair to get into Wembley for the Euro 2020 Final amid violence and chaos which “could have cost many lives”, a report revealed yesterday.The heartless moron donned a hi-viz jacket to impersonate a steward and wheel the youngster away from his dad through a disabled entrance.
England fans without tickets gathered outside Wembley StadiumCredit: Reuters
A drunk fan was pictured with a flare in his bottom before the gameCredit: Elliott Franks
A probe led by Baroness Casey of Blackstock highlighted the horrific ruse among a string of “appalling” incidents on a day of “national shame” at the England v Italy game.
The dossier condemned the Football Association, the Metropolitan Police and local authorities over blunders which resulted in a “perfect storm” of lawlessness.
The damning report states: “That it should happen at our national stadium and on the day of our biggest game of football for 55 years is a source of national shame.”
Huge crowds of rowdy troublemakers had thronged the showpiece venue for hours before the 8pm kick-off on July 11, boozing wildly and openly snorting cocaine after Covid restrictions eased.
And 2,000 ticketless yobs stormed through security cordons before and during the match as police and security staff lost control.
Baroness Casey wrote of the wheelchair stunt: “In one appalling incident, a ticketless fan tried to impersonate a steward and hijack a disabled child and separated him from his father, in order to trick his way through a pass gate.”
Describing the incident, the boy’s dad told the review: “He’s then taken my son’s wheelchair and pushed it towards the door.
“Just as we got to the door, we twigged what was going on and it turned out he’s just an England fan in a hi-viz jacket that was literally hijacking a wheelchair to get into the stadium.”
Baroness Casey added: “Disturbingly, it is clear that ticketless fans targeted disabled supporters in a predatory fashion near the turnstiles.”
The inquiry heard that concerns about supporters were raised by a Brent Council official who alerted colleagues, the FA, Wembley bosses and police as early as 9.02am.
His WhatsApp message read: “Talking to fans . . . none with tickets, just here for the occasion. Might be a big feature of the day.”
By noon, 10,000 fans had arrived around Wembley hoping to cheer Harry Kane and the England stars to a historic victory.
But transport staff were shocked by the drunken behaviour of some.
A London Underground official said: “I’ve been doing this for over a decade and have worked on various other celebratory events, including New Year’s Eve.
“I have never seen drunkenness like this so early on in the day.
“I remember walking into the control room at about 9am and there were England fans drinking as I walked in.
I have never seen drunkenness like this so early on in the day.London Underground official
“The alcohol was flowing. And I thought, ‘This is going to be a hard day’. I felt it was going to be really challenging.”
A probe by The Sun had exposed two Wembley stewards who attempted to sell their hi-viz bibs and security passes for £4,500 in a worrying security lapse.
The pair sauntered away from their posts at 4pm to meet a Sun investigator who tipped off police, leading to their arrest and prosecution.
Mounted police charged crowds soon afterwards in a vain bid to stop hundreds of fans storming and swarming through barriers.
An official at Brent Council — which was also criticised in the report — said at its height, the disorder resembled a “medieval siege”.
One witness told the review: “I saw bottles and cans being thrown at people, children cowering behind parents, trees being ripped up and thrown, people climbing on roofs and throwing things into crowds.”
Analysis showed 17 mass breaches as yobs gained entry by “tailgating” fans with tickets or forcing their way through disabled access gates and emergency fire doors.
The breaches stretched from 90 minutes before kick-off up to the penalty shoot-out at the end.
All agencies responsible for staging the final had been caught off-guard, the review found, with police deployed too late at 3pm — when crowds were already beginning to run riot.
Almost half of respondents to a fan survey detailed in the report saw drug-taking in and around the ground.
That this should happen anywhere in 21st-century Britain is a source of concern.Baroness Casey
Baroness Casey said the authorities’ “collective failure to foresee risk” turned the landmark event into a virtual war zone.
She added: “I am clear we were close to fatalities and life-changing injuries for some, potentially many, in attendance. That this should happen anywhere in 21st-century Britain is a source of concern.”
The report warned the chaos came close to causing a repeat of the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster which cost the lives of 97 Liverpool fans after a security breakdown.
Baroness Casey said: “Some of what happened was sadly foreseeable, even if the scale of it was not. The events at Hillsborough in 1989 have weighed heavily on my mind.”
She added after the report was published yesterday: “Our team of role models were in our first major final for 55 years.
“However they were let down by a horde of ticketless, drunken and drugged-up thugs who chose to abuse innocent, vulnerable and disabled people, as well as police, volunteers and Wembley staff, creating an appalling scene of disorder.
“We are genuinely lucky that there was not much more serious injury or worse.
“No one was fully prepared for what happened that day and it can’t be allowed to happen again.
Our team were let down by a horde of ticketless, drunken and drugged-up thugs who chose to abuse innocent, vulnerable and disabled people creating an appalling scene of disorder.Baroness Casey
“Law-abiding fans, our national team and our national game deserve better.”
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “The FA apologises for the terrible experience that many suffered within Wembley on what should have been a historic night for the game.
“The review makes clear that the circumstances leading up to the match led to a perfect storm of lawlessness.
“No event is set up to deal with such disgraceful behaviour from thousands of ticketless fans.
“Collectively, we must never allow this to happen again.”
The Met Police said yesterday it was “deeply sorry” so many people faced “unacceptable scenes of disorder”.
Commander Rachel Williams said the final was “tarnished by groups of ticketless, anti-social and thuggish football fans”.
She added: “We regret that we were not able to do more to prevent those scenes unfolding.”
Yobs attempt to get through a door meant for disabled access at Wembley StadiumCredit: Reuters
Security meltdown at Wembley as groups of thugs breach barriers and staff watch helplessly
England skipper Harry Kane applauds fans during the Euro 2020 final against ItalyCredit: AP
England boss Gareth Southgate consoles Bukayo Saka after his penalty miss in the finalCredit: Getty
ITV reveal fans without tickets did manage to break into Wembley before England’s huge Euro 2020 final game against ItalyWe pay for your stories!Do you have a story for The Sun news desk? More

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