Proper football fans don’t chuck pints

Many previous football tournaments have had a signature motif: the Mexican wave in 1986, the irritating vuvuzelas in South Africa 2010, the firework up the backside in London in 2021. At Euro 2024, that motif has been the hurling of plastic beer glasses. They have been thrown, in celebration or anger, by the Croatians, the Serbs, the Albanians, the Dutch, the Spanish, by our German hosts and by the excitable Scots. The latter would doubtless have thrown more had they had cause, or stuck around longer. But it was their use as projectiles by England fans which attracted most media attention – and which is likely to result in a fine from Uefa’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body.

The most prominent incident happened after England’s final group game, the disappointingly flat 0-0 draw against the minnows of Slovenia. Plastic cups were aimed from the stands at manager Gareth Southgate – despite his having moments earlier secured top spot in his qualifying group and, with it, what would turn out to be a route to the final.