To NOT support England ???

Why won’t you say which ‘former colony’ you are from, is it because you are Scottish and not Irish as you want others to believe?

So surely moving away and paying taxes that DONT support the ‘regime’ above would be more logical than hoping their football team loses?

England can't be that bad seeing as you chose to live here

I’m a football fan and support England but I think Spain deserved to win, both on the night and over the tournament. I’d obviously have preferred England to win, but I’m not so ridiculously partisan that I “take it hard” when they lose or can’t give a balanced view of a game. Your colleague is very weird, but not uncommon sadly.

But they're English so that doesn't make sense. If it was Spain v France I'm sure they would be supporting Spain.

You sound very bitter and angry about this. Maybe you should go home too.

Because of a famine in distant history? Yeah that makes sense LOL

OP, I’m guessing you’re Aussie? I wasn’t born in England but I live here permanently and definitely support them in sport be up this feels like my country now. I know others who live in England but would never support them in sport and it seems a shame that they live here but aren’t fully supportive of English teams. But ultimately it isn’t a big deal. It just says something about how you feel about the country that you live in.

People are absolutely obsessed with the English aren’t they! We seem to absolutely fascinate them. All hate is misguided love apparently - maybe it’s jealousy?

I agree. I’m not English and not even particularly interested in football, but I supported England yesterday as they weren’t playing against my home country anyway.
’Anyone but England’ whilst living in England sounds a bit childish to me 🤷‍♀️

Given the historical political of England/Scotland/ Ireland, I don’t blame any of them for the ‘anyone but England’ mentality.

And I say that as an England fan.

But OP you are trolling us on this sad hungover day and given that you’re into football I’m not having that you haven’t been giving it to Dave over the years about England…

I can feel your glee through my screen and no doubt Dave sensed it too!

*However the vast majority of the people constantly using this a reason to hate English people are actually way too young to have ever been victims of any oppression - the people they direct it towards are also usually way too young to have ever been guilty of anything (except having been born in England).

English people can acknowledge the sins of their ancestors but there's no going back in time - I struggle to know what's actually expected of them/us?*

Says it all. Also many many english people's ancestors would have been boring farmers/labourers minding their own business somewhere, and not the aristocracy who often masterminded colonial and other atrocities.

Shall I list irelands cruelties throughout history? In particular to its own people?

Not caring is fine but actively supporting whoever the opposition is? Why do you live here if you dislike the country?

I think very few people would care about you not being interested in football and not supporting England. I think what annoys people is people who have lived in England for years and will actively support whoever they are playing against.

English people ALWAYS say this - along with things like, well I would support Scotland if they got through and we didn’t blah blah blah

I always support any part of the UK over a foreign team!! I grew up near the welsh border so they'd be my second choice, followed by Scotland then NI. The dream is the four uk teams in the semi final and England scraping past Wales for a win. In plenty of other sports the national team represents the whole of the UK as one and we love our scottish, welsh & northern irish athletes every bit as much as the english ones!!

If living overseas I'd always be respectful of the local team. I wouldn't support them against a UK team but I'd be quiet about it, and I'd be pleased to support them against another team

I support whoever I have in the sweepstakes until they lose, then England. I don't actually care though, I just like the songs.

I recognize the atrocities of past generations of the English - and I do think these things were absolutely hideous.

Just to be clear on this, the attrocities were carried out by the British not the English. It is mostly Scottish people who settled in Northern Ireland so it always makes me laugh when it is England v Scotland/Ireland.

I'd struggle to get worked up about this, but it's all very cringey. The bitterness of supporting anyone but England because your own team is too poor to get far in tournaments (when they actually qualify) is a little embarrassing for you.

Schadenfreude isn't going to make Scotland any better. If you can't support the country that allows you to call it home, is there any harm in keeping it to yourself and allowing us to bond in our excitement then disappointment? It's 24hrs of feelings that are hard to describe to someone that's never experienced it!

@Shaketherombooga -

Colleague has taken the England loss hard, and said ‘ I bet you’re glad they lost’ - I replied that I was essentially a neutral but thought Spain deserved the win.

Hes gone off in a big old rant about how if I live here I should be supporting England teams etc.
I think he should have a wee lie down and chill out!

I totally and utterly agree. I am just plain not interested in football. it totally boils my piss when people say I (or anyone else) 'should' support the England soccer team. I once worked with a woman who asked if I was watching some European cup final or other on the telly that evening. I said 'No', and she said 'but it's your duty as an English person to support the national team!'. I think she seriously believed that if everybody in England watched the match and yelled a lot, some kind of 'support' magic vibe would fly over the sea to the foreign football ground and help them to win.

I don't want to be 'abusive' about other people's beliefs, but I think these kinds of attitudes are batshit, and, let's face it, stupid. Kind of tribal - 'be like us and yell ENG-ER-LAND or else!'.

Then if it's so awful and you are so traumatised by history maybe don't live in England.

I do, actually, yes.

As I said, my grandparents are all Irish.. yet still I don't really understand the vitriol from younger generations.

I recognize the atrocities of past generations of the English - and I do think these things were absolutely hideous.

However the vast majority of the people constantly using this a reason to hate English people are actually way too young to have ever been victims of any oppression - the people they direct it towards are also usually way too young to have ever been guilty of anything (except having been born in England).

English people can acknowledge the sins of their ancestors but there's no going back in time - I struggle to know what's actually expected of them/us?

I don't see the need for the hatred tbh - don't think it achieves anything, only further division.

AND I think that in football tournaments it's primarily sour grapes cos their teams never qualify!