A football fan was beaten to death in a fight outside Wembley before last night’s match between England and Wales.
The victim, a Wales fan named by fellow supporters as Mike Dye, was attacked just 25 minutes before the European Championship qualifier kicked off.
Police were called at 7.25pm to reports of a serious assault just outside the stadium.
Cardiff City supporter Mr Dye, 44, was found in the concourse area with serious head injuries.
Detectives believe he was knocked to the ground, suffering fatal injuries after a fight broke out with other Welsh fans.
Six people were arrested last night, none of them believed to be England fans.
The victim was taken to a central London hospital where doctors battled to save him but he died just before 9pm.
He was understood to have travelled to the match on a coach from Cardiff with other Welsh football fans.
Outside the stadium Menish Huseyin, 29, who works on a stall that sells merchandise on match days, said: ‘It’s really shocking news, most games go off without a hiccup. It’s really disheartening that someone was coming to a football game and being killed. It’s very cowardly.
With all the security measures here – with all the police and all the horses – you wouldn’t think that something like that would happen.’
Mr Dye, who worked for Cardiff Council’s highways department, had commented regularly on Cardiff City FC football websites and there were suggestions that he had links with hooligans.
Posting under the name Ely Trendy, he wrote in 2009 about a series of fights he had been involved during the 1980s at the height of football hooliganism.
He talked about sitting alongside opposing fans and said in 1984 at a Fulham FC match and said he ‘battled to get out in one piece’.
In another post he said in Colchester in 1985 ‘our train mob all on there, midweek game about 20 us, fighting like f***’
Last year he was arrested and appeared in court for football violence-related offences.
It was not known what caused the attack but police do not believe that any England fans were involved.
Police also dismissed any links to rivalry between Cardiff and Swansea clubs.
The victim was named on internet sites last night as Mike Dye, although police have yet to formally identify the man.
A police spokesman said: ‘Police were called at approximately 7.20pm on Tuesday, 6 September, to an area outside Wembley Stadium following reports of an assault.
Officers and London Ambulance Service attended. A man, believed to be aged in his 40s, was taken to a north London hospital suffering from head injuries. He was pronounced dead at 8.50pm.
‘Police believe they know the man’s identity, but await formal identification and confirmation that all next of kin have been informed.
‘A post mortem will be scheduled in due course.
‘Officers from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command are investigating.
‘Six people have been arrested in connection with the investigation. Enquiries are ongoing.’
The London Ambulance Service said he had suffered a heart attack.
A spokesman said: “Staff treated a 44-year-old man who had suffered a cardiac arrest. Extensive efforts were made to resuscitate the patient and he was taken to hospital.”
He was pronounced dead at 8.50pm.
A post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2034520/Football-fan-beaten-death-fight-outside-Wembley-ahead-Euro-Championship-qualifier.html
, Parker, with players like Henderson, Barkley and Rodwell to come.
