Euro 2020: England charged by UEFA over laser pointer incident

Pointer was aimed at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as he went on to save a Harry Kane penalty, but the English skipper turned the ball in from a rebound.

Kasper Schmeichel applauds the fans after Denmark exit the Euros; Credit: Twitter@EURO2020
By Karthik Raman | Jul 8, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

After a laser pointer was directed at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel during Wednesday’s Euro 2020 semifinal at Wembley, UEFA has charged England over the incident. The unfortunate incident occurred as Harry Kane stepped up to take a penalty after Raheem Sterling went down under Joakim Maehle’s challenge in extra time of the semifinal. Pointer was aimed at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel as he went on to save a Kane penalty, but the English skipper turned the ball in from a rebound. That goal completed a remarkable come-from-behind victory for the Three Lions. Gareth Southgate’s side will next face Italy in the final on Sunday.

England have also been charged for ‘disturbance caused by its supporters during national anthem’ and ‘lighting of fireworks by its supporters’. UEFA said in a statement, “The case will be dealt with by the UEFA, Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body [CEDB] in due course.” Furthermore, there was some booing during the Danish national anthem, which UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman condemned.

“We don’t want fans to be booing teams,” said the spokesman. “We want fans to be showing support and being respectful. Uefa are looking into that, that’s a matter for them but it’s not something we would want to see.”

Denmark coach disappointed with the penalty

Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand expressed his frustrations after being awarded a contentious penalty for a foul on Raheem Sterling in the defeat against England on Wednesday. Sterling went down under Maehle’s challenge in extra time and the referee pointed to the spot. Kane’s resulting spot-kick was saved by Schmeichel, but the English skipper turned in the rebound to set up a Euro 2020 final date against Italy.

Aside from the penalty, Hjulmand was also upset that there was a second ball on the pitch at the time of the foul. “It was a penalty which should not have been a penalty. It is something which annoys me right now. We are very disappointed,” he added.

“You cannot pass by the ball on the pitch which has so much influence on the game. I know it sounds weird right now but I cannot help having these feelings. One thing is to lose a game, it happens, but losing this way is disappointing because these guys have fought a lot.”

‘It feels bitter’

It all started with Mikkel Damsgaard’s stunning free-kick at the half-hour mark, which put the Danes in front. However, Bukayo Saka got on the end of a beautiful through ball from Kane and drilled it across the goal in an attempt to find Raheem Sterling. But Denmark’s skipper Simon Kjaer, unfortunately, turned it into his own net. In the end, Kane’s extra-time goal sent Denmark crashing out of the tournament.

“It feels bitter but we have to digest this before we can discuss these feelings. It’s a bitter way to leave the tournament. The way we lost makes it harder to understand why we lost. I have to be careful with what I say. We have an amazing group and we definitely can do something great again. Maybe it is easier for me to say how I feel in a few days,” he further added.





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