The big football party is underway – and Munich was the centre of attention for the start of the European Championship. Around 100,000 Scots celebrated in the state capital days before.
At the end, the great cheering was mainly from the German fans, who, as here at the fan festival in the Olympic Park, cheered frenetically for each goal scored by the German national team in the opening match at the Munich Arena. The final score was 5:1 for Germany, with the goal conceded also being scored by a German player.
The number of goals caused dismay among Scottish fans. A father consoled his son in the fan zone in the Olympic Park.
But despite the heavy defeat, the city remained peaceful. The Scottish fans were completely relaxed – before and after the game. It was simply about “having a good time” together, said one fan to the SZ. The police, who said they had a peak deployment of 2,000 officers, also reported on Saturday that there had been “no major disturbances” in the city around the European Championship game.
Before the opening match, Munich’s city center was firmly in the hands of Scottish fans on Friday. Many of them had traveled to Munich with kilts and bagpipes in their luggage. 10,000 fans of the “Tartan Army” were in the stadium, more than 100,000 Scots in the city.
Marienplatz was already overcrowded hours before kick-off – and was temporarily closed by the police. Via X, the city of Munich appealed in two languages: “Please disperse elsewhere in the city!”
However, fans should also not go to the fan zone in the Olympic Park. Because there, too, no one came onto the grounds three hours before kick-off.
According to the police, around 25,000 visitors watched the first European Championship game here.
The fans who made it into the zone were delighted and full of anticipation, whether on German …
… or especially on the Scottish side.
It is not for nothing that the motto of the supporters is: “No Scotland, no party!” However, the party was not an exclusive affair, but included the fans of the opposing side.
Scots and Germans at Marienplatz and in the Olympic Park showed that supporters of both teams can celebrate well together.
Beer showers usually only happen after a victory. Not all fans took that seriously on Friday afternoon.
Many Scottish fans had already arrived in Munich on Thursday. Some of them obviously needed to cool down after the journey – like this young man who did a belly flop in the fish fountain on Marienplatz.
The Scottish fans brought their special fan gear with them to Munich: bagpipes and kilts could be seen not only at the hotspots, but in many places in the city.
In order not to risk a dry throat before the game, the Scots stocked up on plenty of Munich beer.
These fans whiled away the time waiting for kick-off on Friday with a game of table tennis on Marienplatz. They also showed that a kilt and a Germany jersey can be put together. However, the game was not broadcast live there.
In order to watch the game, football fans had to go somewhere else – often using public transport. On Friday evening, the MVG transported around 100,000 additional passengers across the city, towards the arena or the Olympic Park.
Anyone who made it into the fan zone was able to watch the game that evening with around 25,000 other football fans – at a peaceful football festival that perhaps set the mood for this European Championship.