Three people including schoolboy, 16, charged after fans invaded pitch during Champions League final at Wembley
THREE people including a 16-year-old schoolboy have been charged with invading the pitch during the Champions League final at Wembley.
Yevhenii Lubnenko, 29, David Carneckij, 28, and the teenager are accused of going on to the playing area at a football match contrary to Section 4 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991.
The 16-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, will appear at Highbury Corner Youth Court on June 24.
Lubnenko, of no fixed address, will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
Meanwhile, Carneckij, of Walworth Road, south-east London, is due to appear at the same court on July 10.
The Metropolitan Police said that inquiries continue into two other people arrested in connection with the same incident.
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In total, police made 56 arrests around the Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid.
The Spanish outfit won 2-0 and secured a 15th European Cup despite a strong performance from Dortmund at a cacophonous Wembley.
Prior to the showpiece event, stadium bosses announced their commitment to clamp down on “poor fan behaviour” ahead of Saturday’s match.
But the off-field chaos came despite a £5million ring of steel defence which was put in place to avoid a repeat of England's Euro 2020 day of shame.
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Five arrests were said to be for pitch invasions while the majority of others were attempts to breach security.
More than 2,000 police were out on duty to police the final but the force could still not contain the mayhem.
However, a spokesperson for the force said on Saturday that the force was confident the “overwhelming majority” of attempts to unlawfully gain access to the stadium were unsuccessful.
The statement added that there was a “robust” policing operation in place to support Wembley stewards and stadium staff.
A Wembley spokesperson revealed yesterday that three pitch invaders have all been arrested.
A statement said: "It is illegal to enter the field of play at Wembley Stadium, and we strongly condemn the actions of those who interrupted the UEFA Champions League Final shortly after kick-off.
"All of the individuals have now been arrested. We will support the relevant authorities to ensure appropriate action is taken."
It comes just under three years after a security debacle at the Euro 2020 final where 2,000 ticketless fans descended onto the approach to Wembley stadium before kick-off.
Since the Euro 2020 final the FA has spent £5million on implementing new safety and security measures, including the creation of a “robust perimeter”.
The investment has been used to solidify the stadium's security infrastructure.
This included increasing the strength of all Wembley's doors with additional magnetic lock systems to ensure there is no repeat of people successfully ripping them off their hinges.
Additional fences and gates have been delivered throughout Wembley's parameters, while the area underneath the iconic Olympic steps has been significantly bolstered since the Euros final.
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A significant part of the money has been spent on improving CCTV in and around Wembley, while a second security control room big enough to house around 18 officers has been opened.
The FA has also invested in providing additional body cameras for event stewards.
