Euro 2024: Defying police orders, English fans sing '10 German bombers' ahead of match vs Serbia - WATCH
English fans have courted controversy after singing the illicit chant
Travelling England fans for Euro 2024 have defied police orders by singing the controversial chant '10 German Bombers' at the marquee tournament ahead of the Three Lions' first match against Serbia.
Video clips posted on social media showed English fans performing the illicit song in the WestGerman city ofGelsenkirchen where the match is scheduled to take place at theVeltins Arena- home to Bundesliga 2 club Schalke, on Sunday (Jun 15).
The chant, sung to the tune of 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain when she comes' and nursery rhyme 'Ten Green Bottles', contains the lyrics:"There were 10 German bombers in the air" and "but the RAF from England shot them down".
A video shared by Matt Lawton of The Times captured the English fans belting the chant while throwing inflatable planes around.
"No trouble here in Dusseldorf but our German hosts are being treated to this," Lawton captioned the video as saying.
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'Don't be a d*ck'
In the lead-up to the tournament,Peter Both, the chief of police in Gelsenkirchen had told English fans not to be a 'd*ck' and sing the song.
"That's what I would say to them: Don't be a d***. If they sing a song like this, I can't change it. It's not punishable in Germany," said Both.
"I hope that all the other peaceful and law-abiding fans say to them: 'Stop it.' I know, and all people in Germany know, there is a long-lasting sporting rivalry between England and Germany. But it's important for me to say it's only a sporting one. Our countries have been, and remain, allies for over seven decades," he added.
Reports indicate that as many as40,000 English fans have travelled to Germany for the opening match while between 5,000 and 8,000 Serbian supporters have also landed in the West German city.
A Guardianreport had claimed that a squad of 500 Serbian hooligans was expected to engage in violent conduct with the English fans ahead of the match.
The report added thatmore than 1,600 England fans with football banning orders had been forced to surrender their passports to the police from June 4 till the final on July 14.
Apart from the violence by fans or ultra groups, the organisers are also worried about the risk of a terrorist attack or an attempt by Russia to stir violence.
(With inputs from agencies)