On this day in 1995: Rioting England fans force the abandonment of a friendly match against Ireland

On this day in 1995, rioting English fans forced the abandonment of a friendly match in Dublin after 27 minutes, with the Republic of Ireland leading 1-0.

The shameful scenes at Lansdowne Road were a dark moment in the history of English football. Numerous fans were injured and 40 people were arrested.

When England were trailing, some fans in the upper West Stand began tearing up seats and benches and then throwing them at the Irish fans below. It later emerged that far-right groups had bought tickets to the match in order to cause trouble.

Ireland led 1-0 thanks to David Kelly's goal in the 22nd minute, but shortly after a goal by English midfielder David Platt in the 27th minute was disallowed for offside, the match had to be abandoned due to crowd disturbances.

There was a 12-minute delay as players were forced to leave the field before the game was abandoned despite pleas from Ireland manager Jack Charlton and his English counterpart Terry Venables.

Ireland's starting lineup for the game included eight English-born players.

Charlton, world champion with England, said at the time: “I have seen a lot in football, but I have never experienced anything like this. Every Englishman should be ashamed.”

In the wake of the riots, Ireland's former Chief Justice Thomas Finlay launched an official public inquiry, which concluded that the violence was solely the fault of English fans and that there was no provocation.

After the abandoned friendly, Ireland and England did not play against each other for 18 years.