On July 16th, Beijing time, England lost 1-2 to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final. According to the Daily Mail, clashes broke out between fans in Atlanta, USA, and several other parts of the UK after the match.
Image source: Daily Mail
When the final whistle blew, the Three Lions lost 1-2 to Messi's Argentina team, and a fight broke out outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
Police intervened to maintain order and arrested several people. Footage showed several England fans being restrained by armed officers. Meanwhile, fans in central London caused chaos, flooding the streets, climbing phone booths, and even surrounding lone Argentine fans.
Image source: Daily Mail
In fact, the atmosphere in the stadium had already become tense during the match, with an Argentine fan snatching a banner from an English fan that claimed the Falklands belonged to Argentina.
Before the match, the Falklands conflict was a sensitive backdrop to this semi-final, with fans from both sides chanting opposing slogans related to the war in fan zones throughout the city.
Image source: Daily Mail
After the match, tens of thousands of fans poured out of the stadium and into the surrounding streets, and some verbal altercations quickly escalated into violent clashes.
English fans condemned the behavior of Argentine fans as "disgusting" and warned that "a clash is 100% certain." Verbal altercations broke out between English and Argentine fans outside a bar near the stadium—most of the arguments related to the Falklands War. US police officers carrying long guns were seen handcuffing both English and Argentine fans.
An England fan told the Daily Mail: "Obviously we were very disappointed with the result, and we didn't provoke anyone as we left the stadium."
"An Argentinian fan came over, waving his flag and coming right up to our faces to provoke us. You know, anyone would want to retaliate, right? Luckily we didn't fight back, but the animosity between the two sides really runs deep."
"When Argentina scored, an Argentine fan next to me took off his jersey and waved it around, even slapping it in my face. It was disgusting. The behavior of Argentine fans is disgusting and repulsive."
"The police force tonight is simply not enough to maintain order. I'm telling you, something is definitely going to happen in bars and similar places later."
Image source: Daily Mail
In the UK, police are also on high alert to prevent potential riots from either side's fans.
On the streets of London, police attempted to separate opposing groups of fans to prevent clashes. Thousands poured from surrounding pubs into the city center streets, and video footage showed chaos at prominent landmarks such as Piccadilly Circus.
During the incident, an Argentinian fan was surrounded by English fans, and police had to intervene to rescue him. Other English fans climbed onto phone booths and traffic lights, requiring police intervention to separate the opposing fan groups.
