- German police preferred English fans to smoke cannabis rather than drink
- They said alcohol makes fans ‘aggressive’ while cannabis ‘cools them’
- They are concerned that both the English and Serbian fans could cause problems
German police have warned English fans ahead of the Euros and encouraged them to smoke cannabis instead of drinking alcohol, reports suggest.
Mail Sport revealed earlier this week that German police at the VELTINS Arena had demanded Three Lions fans serve low-alcohol beer ahead of their opening game against Serbia.
They are concerned that both English and Serbian fans could cause trouble in and around the stadium in Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke 04, if they are drunk.
The sun have now revealed that Gelsenkirchen police prefer England fans to smoke cannabis rather than drink as it would make them ‘calmer’ and ‘relaxed’.
A spokesperson for Gelsenkirchen police told The Sun: ‘It is not a problem for fans to smoke cannabis on the street.
German police have warned English fans ahead of the Euro and encouraged them to smoke cannabis instead of drinking alcohol
Police have advised that low-volume beer should be served at Sunday’s match, but are still concerned about drunk fans.
Around 40,000 England fans are expected to travel to Gelsenkirchen for next Sunday’s match
‘If we see a group of people drinking alcohol and looking a bit aggressive, and another group smoking cannabis, we naturally look at the group drinking alcohol.
‘Drinking alcohol can make a person more aggressive, and smoking cannabis puts people in a chilly mood. We want to prevent violence and keep people safe.
“Our focus will be on fans drinking and potentially becoming violent – which is why we have safety measures in place regarding alcohol.”
On April 1 earlier this year, Germany joined the list of countries that have legalized cannabis for personal use.
The country’s parliament has passed a law legalizing the cultivation and consumption of a limited amount of the drug.
The decision was made in an attempt to regulate the behavior of the estimated 4.5 million Germans who use it.
Growing up to three plants for private use and possessing up to 25 grams of cannabis has been legalized.
However, fans will be prohibited from smoking cannabis in the 62,000-seat Veltins Arena and lighting fires in the fan zones will be prohibited.
That’s why police have encouraged fans to smoke cannabis instead as it ‘chills them out’
On April 1, Germany joined the list of countries that have legalized cannabis for personal use
Growing up to three plants for private use and possessing up to 25 grams of cannabis has been legalized
Fans have also been asked not to smoke weed in bars or town squares during this summer’s European Championships.
Around 40,000 England fans are expected to travel to support Gareth Southgate’s side, while only around 5,000 to 8,000 Serbian fans will travel to Gelsenkirchen.
Speaking about the threat to civilization earlier this week, Chief Inspector Christof Burghardt told Sky News England’s opening match would be ‘high risk’.
“I think it’s a very high-risk game because of the history and because of the hooligans that both sides have,” Burghardt said.
‘Serbia has a lot of hooligans. The English boys are very aggressive with alcohol. So it’s a great job of doing this, preparing so that hopefully nothing happens.”
He added: ‘The biggest challenge for us will be to identify violent, disruptive groups at an early stage, to separate them from peaceful and law-abiding fans.’