‘We can only ask that’s what our supporters deliver’
England manager Gareth Southgate has urged Three Lions fans not to ’embarrass’ the nation as his side prepare to face Germany in Munich.
Around 3,500 England supporters have managed to get a ticket for Tuesday’s Nations League fixture at the Allianz Arena, with a number of other fans also expected to travel without tickets.
The last time the two sides met was at the Round of 16 stage of last summer’s European Championship, where the Three Lions secured a 2-0 victory. However, some England fans were criticised after chanting World War Two songs before, during and after the clash at Wembley.
When Southgate’s men play Germany on Tuesday night, it will also be just one day after the anniversary of D-Day.
As reported by the Metro, given that more than 100 arrests were made during the Three Lions’ trip to Amsterdam in 2018, the FA are sending extra stewards and specialist spotters to identify trouble makers for the Nations League encounter.
Southgate calls on England fans to behave
England boss Southgate was asked about the behaviour of England fans ahead of his team’s trip to Germany. He responded: “I think we know because of the landscape at the moment, that the spotlight is going to be on.
“So we all want to be coming away talking about a brilliant night, good football and a stunning atmosphere. We can only ask that’s what our supporters deliver.
“[Crowd trouble] definitely has an impact [on the players]. Staff are working on things detracting from the main part of their job, you are embarrassed when you hear about it, because you know it’s a representation of your country.
“I think we can only give the correct messages, it’s then you’ve got to rely on people behaving themselves.
“We have supporters from all parts of the country who travel brilliantly, and leave foreign countries with a great feeling about England and English supporters.
“We also know that there’s always been others that do it a different way, and that’s been the same for 40-odd years.”
Three Lions punished for unrest at Wembley
Following the unrest at Wembley during the Euro 2020 final, England were ordered to play one match behind closed doors.
UEFA also imposed a suspended ban for a second game, which will be activated if there is a repeat of crowd trouble in the next two years.
Over 800 fans will have to hand in their passports ahead of the trip to Germany, and as revealed by The Athletic, there are currently 1,120 fans who are serving banning orders in the UK.
The Three Lions will be looking to bounce back from Saturday’s surprising defeat to Hungary when they face Hansi Flick’s Germany.
Related links:
- Over 800 banned England fans will have passports confiscated ahead of Germany game
- Manchester United should have hired Gareth Southgate over Erik ten Hag, Danny Murphy claims
- Qatar World Cup chief executive calls out Gareth Southgate
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