Tartan Army warned over notorious far-right ‘Carpathian Brigade’ thugs at Euros

SCOTLAND fans have been warned to be on their guard when they come face-to face with one the football’s most fearsome hooligan mobs.

The Tartan Army are famed for their good-natured support for the national team but followers of rivals Hungary are infamous for violence and disorder.

The sides’ Euro 2024 showdown has been declared a high risk game by the Stuttgart police.

Steve Clarke‘s side face the Magyars in the last in the group in what is certain to be a huge encounter, after the opener against hosts Germany in Munich and a match against Switzerland in Cologne.

Recent estimates have predicted Scotland could have up to 200,000 fans at the tournament even though the official SFA allocation is only 10,000 for each game.

Hungary are known to carry a huge support too and the Stuttgart authorities have admitted they are wary of their notorious element heading to the tournament.

Magyars fans sparked shameful scenes in two World Cup qualifiers against England three years ago and have been subject to a raft of Fifa sanctions.

Their volatile support – dubbed the Carpathian Brigade – is awash with right-wing fanatics who don’t think twice about belting out vile racist chants.

Their hardcore fans aimed sickening taunts at Raheem Sterling and Jude Bellingham during the first 2021 clash in September that year.
England won 4-0 at the Puskas Arena in Budapest and when Sterling netted the opener he was pelted with missiles amid a crescendo of boos and abuse from the stands.

Fifa then ordered Hungary to play a World Cup qualifier against Albania behind closed doors and fork out a fine of £158,000 for the racist bile they aimed at Gareth Southgate’s England stars.

In the return match at Wembley in October the England players took a knee to show their support for black rights – which didn’t go down well with the travelling support.

The Hungarian crews held aloft a banner that said: “We only kneel for God.”

We told how Polish hooligans joined forces with the Hungarian yobs in a far-right alliance to viciously attack cops.

Brazen fans were seen wearing traditional red and white Polish shirts and flying the country’s flag in the visitors’ section.

A year after the 1-1 clash the Met Police issued a rogues’ gallery of five thugs they wanted to trace in connection with a probe into the Wembley mayhem.

Other shocking images from the night showed Met cops being charged at by a mob of punters decked out in green, red and white.
On the night two Hungarian louts were nicked over claims they had assaulted an emergency worker.

Detective Constable Dawid Ratajczak said officers had analysed footage and identified five individuals they wanted to trace in connection with “abhorrent behaviour”.

He said at the time: “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.”

And we can reveal the five yobs have never been traced and could be among the Hungary fans who travel to see their side take on Scotland on Sunday, June 23.

It is one of two games Stuttgart will host classified as ‘high risk by the city police – the other a clash with Germany four days earlier.

Stuttgart Police head of operations at Euro 2024 Carsten Hofler said: “Of the five matches in the city, two are high-risk. These are the matches between Germany and Hungary and Scotland and Hungary.

“We are particularly concerned about the serious hooligan scene in Hungary, which also exists in Germany.

“If they want to fight, we we will intervene in a robust manner.

“The Scots are considered peaceful, but also thirsty and alcohol can be a catalyst for violence in certain situations.

“Additionally, not only will Scotland and Hungary meet in Stuttgart on June 23, but the German team will also be playing against Switzerland in Frankfurt at the same time. So there will probably be three groups of fans in Stuttgart.

“It is difficult to estimate how many fans will arrive without tickets: It always depends on the accommodation and transport capacity. For the Scots, they expect over 100,000 fans. The fewest fans are expected in the city from Slovenia.

“At the high-risk games in Stuttgart, over 2,500 additional officers will be deployed in stages throughout the day. The main support will come from the police headquarters, but units from neighbouring headquarters and from across the country will also be called in.

“The federal police, which is responsible for the borders, the airport and the train stations, will also be present at maximum strength.

“We get up with the European Championship in the morning and go to bed with it in the evening. We are bringing in all the skills that the security authorities have in a highly concentrated manner.

“This also includes joint exercises in the stadium or with the Stuttgart Hospital so that we are prepared for everything in an emergency.”

A spokesperson for the city force said officers state and federal level will be deployed during ‘high-risk’ matches and strict measures enforced to keep rival fans apart.

They said cops were specially trained in “de-escalative conversation” to engage with troublesome fans.

Scots can expect to gather at a designated fan meeting point before being guided towards the stadium on “co-ordinated fan march and public transport routes”.

The force added: “The Stuttgart police are adapting their deployment and force concept accordingly for high-risk games in order to prevent possible disruptions immediately or in advance.

“For this reason, police forces are increasingly deployed during risk games. The Stuttgart police are supported by additional emergency services from others.

“Forces are available at various strategic locations so that we can intervene quickly and consistently if necessary.”

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