Football hooligans hunted by police after World Cup qualifier against Hungary descended into violence when away fans booed England players for taking the knee at Wembley
- Met police are hunting five Hungary football fans after violence at 2021 match
- Chaos exploded in Wembley during the qualifier back on October 21 last year
- Police say the five men shown in CCTV stills are either Hungarian or Polish
Detectives are hunting five Hungary football hooligans after violence and police assaults during a World Cup qualifying match against England at Wembley last year.
The Metropolitan Police released a gallery of the away fans to the public this morning in an effort to track down the thugs.
England had been booed by the away crowd after taking the knee, a gesture they have continued in the current tournament to highlight inequality.
Then during the game at around 7.50pm on October 12 – which ended with a 1-1 stalemate – a Hungary supporter was arrested for shouting racial abuse at a steward.
Met police are hunting five Hungary football fans after violence at 2021 qualification match
Chaos exploded in Wembley during the qualifier back on October 21 last year against England
It sparked an explosion of violence in the stands from other away fans who turned on the police and started punching and kicking officers.
At the time the Met also arrested another two Hungarian fans on suspicion of affray and assault on an emergency worker.
Now the force say it has identified a further five men it wants to track down in connection with the fracas.
Detective Constable Dawid Ratajczak said: ‘This was a challenging police operation on the day of the match where several arrests were made.
This masked man is being hunted by the Metropolitan Police over the in-match violence
This other man is also subject to the police appeal and officers want to track and speak to him
The Met says it urges anyone who recognises these people to get in touch immediately
‘But our work does not stop there – officers have been analysing footage and have identified five individuals we want to trace in connection with abhorrent behaviour during that match.
‘I would urge anyone who recognises these people to get in touch immediately and quote the relevant reference number shown on the image.
‘This type of behaviour has no place in football or wider society and these people must be held responsible for their actions.’
Trouble started after England’s players took the knee before kick-off in a gesture against racism – and in the Hungarian section of the crowd there was a banner protesting against the act of taking the knee, seen here behind England captain Harry Kane
Shocking footage shows the Met fleeing as thugs clambered over seats and each other to try to swing punches at policemen
Earlier the same year Hungary were ordered to play a World Cup qualifier against Albania at the Puskas Arena behind closed doors and pay a £158,000 fine for their racist abuse aimed at England players in.
As part of their punishment, a second game was suspended for a period of two years.
A section of their supporters targeted Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham with monkey chants during that game on September 2.
Sterling and other England players were also pelted with cups from the stands as they celebrated his opening goal.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101 or tweet @MetCC and quote CAD 4160/06DEC22 along with the relevant picture reference number. You can also provide information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.