The FA condemns 'unacceptable' behaviour by England supporters following Amsterdam arrests

By Sky Sports News

Image: Ninety England fans were arrested in Amsterdam on Friday

The FA has condemned the "unacceptable" behaviour of England supporters in Amsterdam after 90 were arrested before and after the friendly international against the Netherlands on Friday.

Video footage on social media showed some fans throwing bottles at police and others throwing bicycles into Amsterdam's historic canals before the match in the Amsterdam Arena.

The Dutch national anthem was also booed by a minority of England fans, an act described as "unacceptable" by England manager Gareth Southgate.

An FA spokesperson said: "We condemn the unacceptable scenes in Amsterdam. As was reiterated ahead of the fixture, we always urge supporters to respect our hosts and behave in a responsible manner.

Image: Ronald Koeman saw his Netherlands side lose 1-0 to England in what was his first game in charge of his country

"As ever, The FA will work in partnership with the UK Football Policing Unit to help identify those involved and we will sanction any England Supporters Travel Club member found to be responsible for disorder."

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Deputy chief constable Mark Roberts, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) head for football policing, described some of the behaviour as "appalling".

He said: "The behaviour of a large number of England supporters was appalling - any attempts to downplay it are wide of the mark.

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"The sad fact is that the drunken mob's behaviour reinforces the negative stereotype of England supporters, and will impact on the treatment all fans can expect when they follow the team abroad."

There were more than 100 arrests over two days, the largest number of arrests of England fans for a single game in several years, according to Roberts. "Unfortunately it follows a worrying trend observed at recent fixtures," he said.

Image: Jesse Lingard celebrates after scoring his first senior England goal to give his country victory against the Netherlands

England's Football Supporters' Federation chief executive Kevin Miles said there was no defence for the "atrocious anti-social behaviour by a minority of English fans".

Miles said the trouble had been caused by a minority of younger fans who had not gone to watch the football.

"It is not in the interests of the regular England followers for the anti-social behaviour to creep back in as it will inevitably impact on how we are received and treated by host police forces elsewhere," he said.

There were 5,234 official England Supporters Club ticket holders at the game. The FA said any of its members identified as causing trouble would be banned from the organisation.

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