Thousands left queuing at Wembley for hours after England game amid delays with new bag-check security
Supporters voice anger on social media as some queue until midnight for possessions due to new rucksack ban
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of fans were left queueing outside Wembley for several hours after England’s friendly against the USA on Thursday due to new security measures.
Huge crowds were forced to wait behind in a stadium car park after the Three Lions’ 3-0 victory following issues with a new bag-check policy.
The FA no longer allows bags larger than an A4 piece of paper inside the ground, leaving many fans needing to pay £5 to leave their possessions in a designated area.
But supporters were forced to wait up to two hours at the end of the game to reclaim their property, with the last not receiving their bags until midnight.
Long queues snaked around the car park after the final whistle as staff struggled to deal with thousands of customers, causing many fans to express their anger on social media.
“Hey FA. Guess what? You have 5,000 angry people in a car park at the bag drop,” Chris Labrey wrote on Twitter.
“Please make sure you fire whoever came up with this joke of a bag policy. This is the last Wembley match I’m going to!”
David Millar added: “Nightmare at Wembley getting our bags back. Charging us £5 and people will be here for over two hours waiting!”
Wembley said the policy had been introduced to improve public safety had warned fans through several mediums bags would no longer be allowed inside the stadium.
“Wembley Stadium has introduced a new Restricted Bag policy to enhance public safety and improve the overall fan experience by making access to the stadium more efficient,” a spokesman said.
“This has been regularly communicated across Wembley Stadium media channels and to ticket holders throughout the build-up to the England v USA match.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience while we continue introduce this new policy.”
Goals from Jesse Lingard, Trent Alexander-Arnold and debutant Callum Wilson saw England overcome the United States in a friendly that doubled as a farewell to forward Wayne Rooney.
Although security had been tightened off the pitch, one fan was able to avoid stewards to cause disruption on it, running onto the field to confront Rooney in the 70th minute before being hauled away.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments