Moment Met police rescue Argentina fan from baying mob of England supporters in Piccadilly Circus as Thomas Tuchel's men crash out of World Cup

By WILL HALLOWELL, NEWS REPORTER and ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER Published: 07:02, 16 July 2026 | Updated: 07:26, 16 July 2026 This is the moment Met Police officers rescue a lone Argentina fan from a baying mob of England supporters in Piccadilly Circus. Police were called into action to help remove the fan from an angry crowd on Regent Street St James's in central London after Thomas Tuchel's team crashed out of the World Cup last night. Footage from Piccadilly Circus shows Met officers escorting him away from the scene as England supporters can be heard shouting before they are pushed away.  One officer shouts 'stay back' as the cops push England supporters away in an attempt to bring the fan, who is wearing an Argentina shirt, to safety. Other footage from Piccadilly Circus last night shows the Met trying to control a crowd of hundreds of people. The Argentina fan is seen being led away by police as one officer holds on to his arm while others have their truncheons drawn, warning England supporters not to try and approach him.  In one shot, more than half a dozen officers crowd around him to prevent the baying mob from getting face-to-face with him as they appear to shout abuse following England's crushing 2-1 semi-final defeat at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.  The Argentina fan is then brought to safety after he is escorted into a police van as he holds his palms up in the air.  Police in London escort an Argentina fan away from England supporters following the final whistle Hundreds of baying Englsand supporters crowd around the Argentina fan in Piccadilly Circus  Boos and chants of 'f*** Messi' are heard as officers escort the lone fan to safety Officers shield the van from crowd as chants of 'f*** Messi' can be heard as well as synchronised 'boos' from England supporters.  One England fan is captured climbing on top of a telephone box in the iconic central London square.  Despite the team's loss, supporters appeared jubilant as they cheered at the cameras filming the chaos while the Met tried to control the crowd.  Some England supporters attempt to chase the van as it leaves the area but officers hold them back.  There is no suggestion of wrongdoing from the Argentina fan or baying England supporters.  The man wearing the Argentina shirt appears to be a YouTube prankster known as Maciej, who in separate footage from last night posted on his TikTok shows him trying to rile up England fans.  In the short clip, the social media personality, who has over 220,000 followers on the platform, is approached by an English man telling him to 'get the f*** out of here bro' before he is pushed. Another man, wearing an England shirt, asks Maciej where he is from. The prankster replies by telling him he is from Argentina, when calls for him to leave the area are repeated.  The TikToker has previously posted videos claiming to 'ragebait' Tottenham Hotspur fans while wearing an Arsenal shirt.   He brought to a police van which then drove away from the scene as England supporters attempted to chase after it Police officers intervene and speak to fans in Atlanta as they try to keep the peace following Argentina's semi-final victory He is then approached by several England supporters demanding he leaves, telling him to 'jog on' and 'f*** off', while a bouncer escorts him away.  Protesting, he asks: 'Can I not support Argentina? What am I doing [wrong]?'  This is met by calls for him to 'go home', with one man telling him: 'You can support Argentina but it's not the right time.'  Maciej ends the video by talking to the camera, saying: 'Someone's crying. Who's crying?'  There were clashes on the streets of Atlanta and Britain following England's semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday night. Fights broke out outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia after the final whistle confirmed the Three Lions' 2-1 defeat to Lionel Messi's side. Police made multiple arrests as they stepped in to calm the situation, with pictures showing several England fans being detained by armed officers. Meanwhile in London fans caused chaos as they took to the roads of the city centre.  A police officer breaks up an argument between Argentina and England fans outside the Mercedes-Benz Stadium Fans are arrested in Atlanta by armed police looking to separate the two sides US police stand guard in Atlanta as Argentina fans gather at the fan festival to celebrate Supporters react when Argentina scored to level the game 1-1 England supporters react near the end as they watch the semi-final football match between England and Argentina at Boxpark Wembley Tensions had already flared inside the stadium after Argentina took a banner from fans which claimed the Falkland Islands belong to the South American nation. The Falklands conflict had loomed large in the build-up to the semi-final tie, with rival chants about the war featuring in fan zones around the city. After the match was over, tens of thousands of fans flooded out of the stadium to the surrounding streets, with some disputes boiling over into violence. England fans branded the behaviour of Argentina's supporters 'absolutely disgusting' and warned that things will 'kick off, 100 per cent'. The Atlanta Police Department deployed extra resources around the city, with officers lining the streets outside bars near the stadium after the crunch clash.  Argentina and England fans outside bars near the stadium exchanged words – much of it Falklands-related.  American police officers with large guns were seen placing both England and Argentina fans in handcuffs.