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Steward sentenced for allowing ticketless fans into Euro 2020 final

Ticketless fans hindered the occasion of England’s first major final since the 1996 World Cup at the UEFA Euro 2020 final at Wembley on 11 July as they tried to storm the event. 

Now, a teenager has been sentenced for trying to sell on stolen items from Wembley Stadium to give fans without tickets access to the game.

Yusaf Amin, 18, was sentenced at Willesden Magistrates’ court to six months in a young offenders’ institute, which has been suspended for a year. He has also been ordered to pay legal costs of £213 and must complete 200 hours of unpaid work, as well as go to an attendance centre. 

Amin worked at Wembley Stadium as a steward and stole official lanyards, hi-vis jackets and wristbands that would gain ticketless supporters access to the final between England and Italy. He tried to sell them online for a total of £4,500. 

In a post on Facebook, Amin wrote: “Steward pass available x2 with uniforms and pass and I’m outside Wembley, anyone was [sic] to get in. I have two passes and two uniforms and wristbands for you to go in and watch the game.

“Looking for serious people only. Guaranteed entry or money back.”

Amin, of Newham, east London, pleaded guilty to theft via postal requisition last month. 

England went on to lose the final on penalties to Italy, after the game ended in a 1-1 draw following extra time. 

District Judge Denis Brennan said: “You would have been aware of the concerns about fans getting in the ground – if you can call them fans – following the game against Denmark. Yet there you were offering out hi-vis jackets, accreditation passes and wristbands allowing someone to get into the game, putting at risk the security and the safety of other fans within the ground. 

A woman had reported Amin to the police and was commended by the judge for her actions. Amin had said to those interested in the stolen goods to meet in an Aldi car park. 

Another 18-year-old, Dalha Mohamad, of Anglian Road, Waltham Forest, was also charged with similar offences but pleaded not guilty. He is due to be tried on 17 December at Willesden Magistrates’ court. 

Image: Habib Ayoade on Unsplash

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