A father was separated from eleven year old son after London Stadium stewards panicked and closed the segregation gates outside the stadium early.
The London Stadium operators appear to have been caught off guard when a fourth goal went in on the 67th minute and hundreds, possibly thousands of supporters decided enough was enough and decided to leave.
At first the majority of the exit doors were closed but seeing a mass exodus on CCTV the stadium operators opened most of the doors automatically.
The segregation gates close to section D were still open at that point and hundreds of fans rushed to make their way through rather than spend 30 minutes walking all the way around the stadium the other way.
I was one of the last fans through before the gates before were forced shut by aggressive stewards who stranded up to one hundred fans on the other side. We all soon became aware of a young lad sobbing hysterically, at first I thought he had been crushed by the gates but it turned out he had been separated from his father who had been left on the other side.
Stewards re-opened the gates fearing for their own safety which allowed the father to be reunited with his son but the boy was visibly shocked and upset. After the incident the boy’s father Wayne Cooper tweeted David Gold and Karren Brady to say “Can you Please be aware a steward separated me from my 11 year old boy by closing the barriers D left him in Tears”
He later explained “Yeah lucky another Steward told him to open gate so I could get my son but he said he’s frightened”
On the whole, the stewarding inside the ground has improved from my personal experience, it a shame that much of the good will and progress can be spoilt for one thoughtless act.
It’s a great day for the wetties mate, West Ham got thumped at home and they’ve got the young educated Asian lad with his article up. It’s a bullies playground and slagfest all in one.
Pants as you call it Lama will be close to blowing up today i should imagine.The grumpy cat is already there choking on his furball as usual.
I got seperated from my mum once in Waitrose when i was 7 or 8.Would you like me to turn it in to an article for you Sean.Its a very exciting story 😂😂
Lol facking funny! That’s so scary sounds like a Blair Witch project. Lmao
Agree Sparrow what a non story. When I took my lads to football I’d literally be hanging into their hoods and nothing would’ve separated me from them.
I bet it will ne absolute carnage on Pants today.Doesnt even bare thinking about 😂😂
So, stewards closed the segregation gates as they are required to do and when it was realised that a young lad was separated from his dad a steward opened the gate to let the father through? Sounds like everyone was doing their job but maybe the father should be more attentive in caring for his son.
You had to be there Sparrow to understand. They forced the Gates shut while hundreds were still trying to get through. It wasn’t a case of the father being attentive. It was dangerous and someone could have been crushed in the aggressive way they slammed the gates shut
I feel the pain, whilst at the Arsenal game, I stayed to the end with my son (15), who had arranged to meet his mate by the club shop. Getting slower as I move into latter years, I asked my son to cross both bridges towards the shop to fetch his mate and come back so I could return him home safely. After 15 minutes on the south bridge I had a phone call from my son saying he had been forced across the north bridge by the stewards refusing to acknowledge he was trying to meet his dad. Could have been catastrophic but we met by the centre. Just unnecessary!