Scotland fans waited for food and drink in hours-long queues at the “chaotic” Munich fan zone for the Euro 2024 opener.
Tens of thousands of Scotland fans who descended on the Bavarian capital of Munich were left disappointed after the men’s national side were thumped 5-1 by hosts Germany in Friday’s match.
But those watching the match in the Olympiapark fan zone say their experience was made worse by the facilities.
Callum Napier from Peebles arrived in Munich on Friday morning.
He and his friends had taken two flights and a bus to the Bavarian capital, via Rotterdam and Amsterdam, and slept on an airport floor.
The 24-year-old told STV News: “The atmosphere was great but it was poor planning.
“We were expecting it to be larger than it was. There were not enough bars or food stalls for the amount of fans there but there were a lot of sponsored tents.
“They didn’t seem prepared for that many Scotland fans.”
Callum claimed there were not enough toilets, with some fans urinating near the fences and behind cubicles.
He also said there were few staff working at the event.
He said: “It felt like you were barely moving. You’d get to the front and everyone would swarm and try to cut in. It was a total shambles.
“Two bar staff pulling pints for that many people – it was pretty chaotic.
“You were going to be away from your group of friends for two to three hours just to get drinks in.
“It left a bitter taste after what was a pretty good day.”
Callum said he and his friends ended up leaving at half-time to go to a city centre beer cellar to watch the rest of the game.
“The atmosphere was as good as the fan zone – and we got served straight away,” he added.
Callum and friends hope the fan zone at Cologne will be in better shape for Wednesday’s Group A clash with Switzerland.
He said: “We’re told it will be slightly better and that we can bring our own drinks.
“We’ll see what it’s like when we get there. If it looks like it will be another shambles, we’ll go to a pub. Lessons learned.”
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