England: FA investigating alleged 'violent treatment' of fans during Nations League victory against Greece

The FA and the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) are investigating reports that some England fans were tear gassed and allegedly subjected to violent treatment as they tried to get into the Olympic Stadium in Athens during Wednesday's Nations League match. 

Some supporters have accused the Greek riot police of being unnecessarily heavy handed, as fans queued to get through the turnstiles.

Around 3,000 England fans had tickets for the game, but many were not inside the stadium by kick-off, with some fans telling Sky Sports News they were pushed back by riot shields when they had nowhere to go.

One England fan who was at the game told Sky Sports News: "People near me were suffering the effects of tear gas. I was sat very close to the entry into the seating area and saw the bottleneck occurring caused by inadequate entry channels. Hence people who were caught in the crazy three-point check were delayed after arriving at least an hour before kick-off.

"There was the original bottleneck where tickets were scanned followed by more police on the staircase only 10 metres after the first check, a random pat down at the top of the stairs and then a gate ticket scan eventually into the stands.

"All this could have been avoided if enough entry gates at the initial check were available.

"Also in the ground itself, the lack of stewarding was at best woeful or non-existent. Opposing fans with laser and flares were not challenged.

"[The] pre-warning about being kept back after final whistle was met with exemplary behaviour by England fans. But as usual we (England fans) had to on both entry and exit do the tour of getting back to the metro."

The FA said: "We are aware that some of our fans had a difficult experience outside the ground and are obtaining more information on exactly what happened."

The FSA said in a statement: "Unfortunately, once again, we are having to ask England supporters to send in their witness accounts to ourselves regarding the situation outside of the Athens Olympic Stadium.

"Despite being told how things would operate in advance, to see the exact opposite occur in some cases, and to see the treatment of our fans by local police using shields and tear gas to do something as simple as rearrange a queue, is so incredibly frustrating.

"We'll say more over the next 24 hours, but in the meantime, if fans can email [email protected] with your experiences, we will work with the FA and we will raise with @FansEurope and in turn @UEFA, who have already been made aware.

"On a night where we had a great result on the pitch, there is still clearly so much needed to do off it to ensure our supporters aren't put in unjustifiably dangerous situations. We keep trying. Safe travels home all and thanks in advance."

UEFA is aware of England fans' claims of maltreatment at the hands of Greek police and will assess all reports before deciding any next step, Sky Sports News understands.

England avenged their Greek oddity at Wembley by seizing control of automatic promotion hopes from Group B2 in the Nations League with a 3-0 victory in Athens capped by a superb Curtis Jones back-heeled finish.

Provided Lee Carsley ends his spell as interim boss with a victory of any kind against the Republic of Ireland on Sunday, new manager Thomas Tuchel will avoid beginning his reign next March with a play-off, but instead the fresh slate of a set of World Cup Qualifiers.

The Three Lions, who were beaten at home by Greece last month, got off to the perfect start as Ollie Watkins justified his selection with a close-range finish after excellent play involving Noni Madueke and Jude Bellingham down the right flank (7).

England, who were hampered by nine withdrawals since Carsley named his squad for his final camp, absorbed a period of pressure to find the goals they needed to take control of the group as Bellingham's marauding run and shot struck the post before ricocheting over the line via the back of the hapless goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.

It moved England above Greece by virtue of a superior head-to-head - but Jones' audacious flick from substitute Morgan Gibbs-White's cross put the seal on a hugely impressive victory in hostile surroundings. Provided England match - or better - Greece's result in the final round of fixtures, they will be promoted to League A.