England and Scotland fans have been sent a warning about the strength of beer in Germany ahead of Euro 2024 this summer. Both nations have qualified for the tournament and are expected to take large numbers of supporters over to Germany for the duration of the tournament but the strength of beer could cause issues for some fans.
Due to the higher strength of pints in Germany, the Foreign Office have issued the following warning to supporters:
“Beer can be stronger than in the UK, so drink responsibly, know your limits and respect local laws. You may not be let into the stadium if you drink too much.”
The warning has come as a bit of a shock to supporters, particularly those who have been to Germany before. The average strength of lager in the UK is around 4.4% while the average in Germany is only marginally higher at 4.7%.
England fans and Scotland fans respond to beer warning
The timing of the warning comes at the same time the Home Office have requested passports from 1,600 individuals who have football banning orders to prevent them from travelling to Germany in the summer.
That news didn't go down particularly well with some fans, while the beer warning has been received with confusion by some groups.
In an interview with the BBC, the co-founder of the Scottish Football Supporters Association admitted that he thought it was an April Fool's joke at first. He added:
“There are of course many things that Scotland fans need to be warned about but we don't really think this is one of them. The Tartan Army have watched Scotland all over the world and enjoyed sampling the culture and, of course, the local beer sensibly and in moderation – win, lose or draw.”
England fans on X also took a dim view of the warning. One fan posted: “Don't they know that Derek and the boys can sink a 12 pack of carling on a Tuesday night and still turn up to work.” Another added: “I cannot believe that they have released that statement. Absolutely ridiculously funny.”
A third said: “If this doesn’t show how out of touch civil servants are with normal folk then I don’t know what does. England fans' favourite away football matches would probably be Belgium or Germany based on beer.”