Boss of Dallas pub where England fans drank 5,000 beers denies fans were kicked out after police turned up
A pub in Dallas which England fans drank dry ahead of the Three Lions' World Cup opener has explained why the police turned up to put a dampener on the party.
England finally get involved in the World Cup festivities on Wednesday when they take on familiar faces in Croatia at the AT&T Stadium.
After the Scottish made their presence felt in Boston over the past week, England supporters have descended upon Dallas, Texas, ahead of watching Thomas Tuchel's side in action.
Fans have been seen embracing the local culture by sporting cowboy hats and attending a rodeo, as well as partying heavily.
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With the USA being so large, organic gatherings have been tougher than usual for fans, so a meet-up was organised at the Londoner Pub and Grill where fans turned up in football tops, fancy dress and with St. George's flags.
The Londoner managed to make more than £30,000 in the evening, with 5,000 beers bought in total by the revelling supporters. Though the bar had an advertised closing time of 2am, police arrived at around 10pm, with the Independent reporting fans were 'ordered to move on'.
However, a representative from The Londoner has told LADbible what happened from their perspective, and denies that anyone was kicked out of the bar.
Why police turned up at England fan party in Dallas
Charlotte Tate, the lead counsel and business manager of The Londoner Bar and Grills, tells LADbible more people than expected turned up at the event, meaning a capacity limit was reached and no more fans could be admitted inside.
"We closed doors a little after 10pm to new business, but did not kick anyone out," she explained. "Neither did the police. They were there for crowd control and safety."
She continued: "We were expecting a watch party of 200, according to the organiser. Hundreds of people showed up and kept coming. They drank us out of beer and were spilling onto neighbouring property."
John Gallivan, 39, from Bristol, organised the event and said: "America’s massive, it’s so big, so vast. When we go to Europe, it’s really easy – you know where you’re going to be.
“You don’t have to ask, you don’t have to look, you just know where we’re going to be. In America, that’s impossible – so the whole idea of today was to just find somewhere, get them to put a deal on the beer and then advertise it.
“We’ve been here since 4pm and it’s been grand. I feel sorry for the bar staff."
Londoner 'honoured' to welcome England fans
After the doors were closed to new business, many supporters remained on the pub's balcony as Dallas Police Department officers stood looking up at the chanting mass. After around 20 minutes, they reportedly moved out of sight.
Though a very small group were spotted dropping plants off the edge of the balcony, other fans stayed to help clear litter at the end of the night.
Tate says the Londoner was 'honoured' to host the travelling England contingent.
"Our plants need replacing and some furniture is worse for wear," she said. "But we were honoured so many English wanted to be at our Pub and offered the best experience possible while experiencing a level of business, we never have."
In a statement to LADbible, Dallas Police Department said: “Police were called regarding a large crowd that had gathered at a business in the 5300 block of east Mockingbird Lane.
"Because no injuries were reported and no criminal offense occurred, the officers left shortly after."
Daniel Murphy