SUNDERLAND fans were blasted for the “absolutely disgusting” state they left Trafalgar Square in.
Black Cats supporters gathered in central London on Friday night to party ahead of Saturday’s Championship play-off final at Wembley.
The game kicks off at 3.01pm – the one minute later due to an initiative with the Every Minute Matters, encouraging supporters to learn the life-saving skill of CPR.
Regis Le Bris’ side face Sheffield United in the £190million match desperate to return to the Premier League for the first time since 2017.
And their fans made the most of their trip to the national stadium – by descending on Trafalgar Square the night before the big game.
Thousands of Sunderland supporters gathered at the iconic London landmark to get in the mood ahead of the final – with some even getting in the fountain.
But after everyone had gone, video footage of the aftermath emerged – and makes for shocking viewing.
The entire square was left littered with cans, bottles, plastic bags and other rubbish.
In the video, a man can be heard saying: “Aye we’ve got to do better than this.”
And plenty of football fans took to social media to slam the Sunderland fans for their selfish, horrible attitude and antics.
One labelled it “embarrassing”.
Another wrote: “It looks awful.”
A third replied: “Absolutely disgusting – @SunderlandAFC you should be ashamed of it, your club should be billed for the cleaning up.”
And a final user simply wrote: “Vile.”
In 2023, Newcastle fans were praised for helping clear up their mess at Trafalgar Square ahead of the Carabao Cup final defeat to Manchester United.
And Crystal Palace supporters drew similar adulation for the way they played their part to tidy the rubbish after last week’s jubilant FA Cup final.
Sunderland saw off Frank Lampard’s Coventry in dramatic fashion to book their spot in the play-off final – with the winning goal in the 122nd minute.
Black Cats midfielder Jobe Bellingham is hoping to enjoy his moment in the Wembley spotlight – a year on from his brother Jude lifting the Champions League trophy under the arch.
For team-mate Enzo Le Fee, it promises to be an emotional day.
He bravely opened up on finding his father dead in bed after he had taken his own life.
On the other side, Sheffield United striker Kieffer Moore is relishing his chance to finally play on the hallowed turf – and is desperate to secure a hat-trick of promotions to the Premier League.
And Premier League clubs will be supporting the Blades because victory for them would ensure a bumper £39m cash bonus windfall due to the parachute payments.
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