German and British police working together for ‘safe and trouble-free Euro 2024’ amid hooliganism fears

British police say they are working with their German counterparts to ensure a “safe and trouble-free” Euro 2024 – European soccer’s international tournament which runs from June 14 to July 14 – for England fans amid fears that Serbian hooligans are targeting the countries’ opening Group C match on Sunday.

British police say they are working with their German counterparts to ensure a “safe and trouble-free” Euro 2024 – European soccer’s international tournament which runs from June 14 to July 14 – for England fans amid fears that Serbian hooligans are targeting the countries’ opening Group C match on Sunday. First reported in the Guardian on Tuesday, the chief of police in Gelsenkirchen, the city where England plays Serbia, said they are expecting up to 500 hooligans to try and cause violence. “Officers from the UK have a good working relationship with the German Police, developed from working together on a number of previous high-profile football tournaments and matches in the past,” the UK’s Football Policing Unit told CNN in a statement. “We are continuing to work closely with German police to support a safe and trouble-free Euro 2024 tournament for travelling England fans.” Up 40,000 England fans and 8,000 Serbia fans are expected to travel to Gelsenkirchen for a game UEFA, European football’s governing body, and German police have designated as “high-risk.” In total, some 300,000 England fans are expected to travel to Germany during the tournament. CNN understands the British police have around 2,000 banning orders currently in place for fans.