Cages, crushes and stabbings - is European away safety getting worse?

BBC Sport explores the safety issues fans face when following their team across Europe.

Sport Insight

Cages, crushes and stabbings - is European away safety getting worse?

• 30 January 2026
• 1011 Comments

[An illustration showing riot police officers, stewards, and fans outside football matches]
BBC Sport

Daniel Austin
BBC Sport senior journalist

Football fans across the country dream of following their club in Europe, seeing them take on the cream of the continent's crop alongside friends and family.

But European away trips aren't all sunshine, sangria and singalongs - in recent years, there have been a number of significant security incidents in which fans' safety has been put at risk.

The 2022 Champions League final became a "near mass fatality catastrophe" due to poor organisation by Uefa and French authorities, while in the years since, fans of Manchester City, Manchester United and Newcastle have strongly criticised policing and security measures at matches in Istanbul, Lyon and Marseille respectively.

Earlier this season, fans were even barred from attending some away matches in the Champions League amid "extremely worrying" security trends which some believe are worsening, stripping fans of dignity and in some cases leading to dangerous situations.

Common issues fans report include:

overly aggressive policing

crushing caused by poorly managed stadium entry and exit procedures

lack of toilet access

invasive body searches

confiscation of items like power banks and medications

So, are safety conditions at some of the game's most prestigious matches really getting worse?

'Lives are being put at risk'

"There are definitely countries where the situation is deteriorating, like Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands," said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which invites travelling fans to fill in a survey about their experience after each round of European fixtures.

"There are also repeat offenders - countries and clubs where things are not improving and they have demonstrated that they are not capable of hosting games in acceptable conditions.

"France, Spain, Portugal and Italy are major tourist destinations that are very used to hosting people from all over the world, but clearly treat football fans completely differently - like a threat or second-tier citizen."

Security arrangements and policing strategies for European matches are developed via a combination of host clubs, national governments, local authorities and regional police forces, with input from Uefa, who run the competitions.

The way fans are treated can vary drastically based on the place they are visiting, the policies of those running the country and/or city, the behaviour of home fans, and the context of the game. Plus, not every fan will have the same experience as others on the same trip.

"There are some things that are small humiliations - being forced to enter a stadium four hours before kick off, put on a bus for hours with no toilet, having lip balm taken off you," Evain said.

"These things are rarely necessary, and are either a way for the police to exert a form of social control, or just completely outdated.

"Then we see things like pushing thousands of fans through gates no bigger than an apartment door - there are clearly policing strategies and infrastructural failures that are putting people's lives at risk.

"It just takes a few people to panic for things to go really wrong."

How do European away trips play out?

BBC Sport asked fans who are experienced European away travellers to document how English clubs' trips unfolded during the last two Champions League and Europa League matchweeks, choosing a range of games in different places with varied approaches to policing and security measures.

Gemma Manns, 44, Chelsea fan in Naples, Italy: "We avoided arriving in Naples until the afternoon of the game, based on Napoli fans' reputation for hostility.

"Hearing about the two young guys who were stabbed was horrible but not surprising.

"In the end we didn't see any trouble around the ground once we got to Naples, and the checks were all efficient.

"We were kept behind for over an hour after the game, and big groups of ultras stayed in their stand to try to intimidate us, so we felt at risk.

"Once we headed towards the designated buses after leaving the ground, the police completely disappeared, and we were packed on.

"The doors were open doors and we had no protection when it felt like we might need it - that was really sketchy."

Jude Aston, 21, Aston Villa fan in Istanbul, Turkey: "I am a wheelchair user, and although we were warned by Villa about what conditions would be like, it was still worse than I expected.

"Once we were in the ground, us disabled supporters had to sit inside a cage in front of the away end. It had thick bars and some wiring that meant I could hardly see any of the goal at the end of the pitch in front of me.

[An image of a cage disabled Aston Villa supporters were locked in during their Europa League match away at Fenerbahce]
Jude Aston

Jude spent around six hours inside this cage inside Fenerbahce's Ulker Stadium

"The cage was locked for most of the match, and I was the furthest one along - I couldn't get out to use the toilet until half time and I don't know what I would have done if there was a fire or something. I felt quite claustrophobic. It was unsettling.

"My personal assistant was separated from me, outside the cage, and I was worried about my phone dying in an emergency because I wasn't allowed to take a power bank in.

"I know in theory the cage is for our safety from home fans, getting to and from the stadium was efficient, and the police and stewards were very friendly, but it's 2026 - there has to be a better way than this."

Jane Boland, 61, Liverpool fan in Marseille, France: "The riot police made entering and exiting the stadium really hard work. After being told to arrive at a designated meeting point more than four hours before kick off, we were held in overcrowded areas and made to wait for ages, sometimes with difficult or no toilet access.

"Leaving the stadium took over two hours after full time - by far the longest I've ever experienced. We were stood packed on stairwells for what felt like forever, and I had awful back pain afterwards. I understand that someone passed out and needed medical attention, and in retrospect I'm surprised it was only one.

"After two days of everything being great and nothing but friendly interaction between the two sets of fans, we were treated like cattle.

"I probably spent about £1000 on the trip, most of that in Marseille itself, so it smarts to be treated so badly as a 'customer'."

Sue Fox, 68, Spurs fan in Frankfurt, Germany: "Transport was pretty efficient, overall. The meeting point was well organised and the police gave clear instructions.

"Then we took a train and they marched us through a very dark, muddy forest for about half an hour. When we arrived at the ground the gates were locked so we had to queue for an hour, and we were all packed very close together. It was uncomfortable and inappropriate.

"The men were able to go to the toilet in the bushes, but what were we supposed to do? It was nearly two hours without being able to go.

"Inside, the only women's toilet was in the home end, so we had to use the one there, which felt wrong and had the potential to be unsafe."

[CRS police officers watch on during a Marseille match in the Uefa Champions League]
Getty Images

Marseille matches are often heavily policed

Dylan White, 21, Arsenal fan in Milan, Italy: "On the way to the stadium we had to wait in big, tight queues for the designated metro for a long time, and then got packed on like sardines.

"Outside the ground, some extremely thorough ticket checks meant we were in very tight queues again, which got tighter and tighter because the entry gates were locked until 20 minutes before kick off.

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