A Dallas pub said it was forced to close during a watch party for England vs Croatia after ‘the mayhem that descended’ as rowdy football fans swarmed the venue
A US pub which served England fans more than 5,000 beers was forced to close during a watch party for the Three Lions’ World Cup win against Croatia after “mayhem descended.”
The Londoner Pub in Dallas, Texas, US, said the fire marshal ordered an early closure time with footage on social media showing England supporters flooding the venue once again.
It came just a day after the venue reportedly raked in more than £30,000 by selling a total of 2,352 bottles of beer.
Dallas police had lined the road outside as rowdy fans, draped in St George’s flags, loitered around the building hours after it was cleared.
The pub issued a statement on Wednesday saying that while it was “incredibly grateful for the business,” the building was in a “complex of other businesses” and that its sales did not account for the “destruction of our property and landscaping”.
It said the early closure came due to “the mayhem that descended on us,” adding: “We are closed for the rest of the day, on order of the fire marshal.
“Thank you to those of us who saw the mayhem that descended upon us and understand we did our very best to manage the situation.
“The sales are overinflated in reports and do not account for the destruction of our property and landscaping.
“We are incredibly grateful for the business and have done our absolute best to manage it.
“Reminder to our guests: We are in a complex of other businesses, but there are also residences in Mockingbird Station.”
On Tuesday, the venue hosted hundreds of England fans who defied police pleas to leave the premises.
Fans were seen kicking a football up onto the pub’s balcony, with the ball occasionally landing on the bonnets of nearby vehicles. Plants were also dropped off the edge of the balcony by a very small group.
Police stormed the building and ordered crowds to leave just before 10pm, with some staying back to help the clean-up efforts.
A large number of fans remained on the balcony for another couple of hours despite the pub being cleared.
Officers confirmed the early closure was due to the venue reaching maximum capacity, with only two security guards on duty.
The Londoner Pub told customers it would be opening its doors again at 11am on Thursday.
