Scottish football fans attending Euro 2024 in Munich have described long queues for drinks and broken toilets. Approximately 200,000 supporters from the Tartan Army travelled to Germany for the opening match. Although City of Munich officials organised an official fan zone, fans experienced several issues before kick-off. They faced queues for hours for food and drink, with several waiting up to three hours for a beer. Some resorted to pushing down a fence to urinate rather than queue for an hour to access the men’s toilets.
Scotland suffered a 5-1 defeat by the host nation. It was Germany’s biggest win in the opening match in the 66-year history of the tournament. Within the first ten minutes, Germany scored, and Ryan Porteous received a red card. Although Antonio Rüdiger scored a late own goal, this was not enough to restore Scottish pride. There had been eager celebrations before the match, so the result was a disappointment for fans.
One fan, Callum Napier, regrets having watched the match at the official fan zone. While there was no problem on his arrival several hours before kick-off, he encountered long queues for food and drinks. He describes it as a “shambles” with a “total stramash” toward the front of the queue. He further explained that there were also queue waits of about an hour to use the men’s toilets, prompting some fans to push over a fence to access some privacy.
Several supporters chose to leave at half-time, hoping to catch the rest of the match at a city centre pub. George Dall waited for three hours for a pint, but got nothing. Margaret McCrosson, another Scotland fan, left early due to back pain. City officials had discouraged public viewing of the match in Marienplatz due to overcrowding concerns and thus urged fans to spread out. Nonetheless, there were reassurances before the match that there was enough beer available for everyone.
Many Scottish fans are now heading to Cologne for the squad’s next match against Switzerland on Wednesday
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