To wish England hadn't won (almost)

[littlegreybird]

I'm not a football fan but someone who tends to get swept along during big tournaments and a few years ago would have been thrilled by last night's result.

This year I hate it. I think the team and manager seem great, but the booing during the other teams' national anthems is sickening and makes me utterly ashamed. Then you just know it'll be jumped on by Johnson (already has) and the victory, or even getting this far, will become part of his populism. Then there's all the covid cases that will be spread due to all the mixing in pubs etc, more than would have been the case anyway.

I just feel nothing for this country anymore after the events of the last few years. Latest bit of shit news is that my daily commute will now be shared by exhausted lorry drivers who won't have had breaks thanks to Brexit, so that's a cheery thought.

When is anything good going to happen that isn't sullied by this utterly shit governement?

@HarrietPierce

"We’ve been through a pandemic,"

Let's change that to the present continuous "We are going through a pandemic"

Going through a pandemic is no excuse for bad behaviour.

"Going through a pandemic is no excuse for bad behaviour.2

It certainly isn't. Just saying the pandemic is far from over, despite "Freedom day" on the 19th.

I agree Harriet. Some are just trying to find excuses.

Domestic abuse also goes up if England win, apparently, so it doesn't matter either way.
It's almost like they don't need an excuse.

@user1492450936

I'm glad I got out of the UK whilst I still could. Am also ashamed of the behaviour of the so-called fans - beating up the Danish family, booing the opposition's anthems Loved Gary Neville's TV comment comparing the leadership of the English football team with the non-leadership of the government I hope they win, because the team an management deserve it but I feel it will just lead to more xenophobic and nationalist posturing by Johnson

Another blinkered poster who thinks these things never, ever happen outside England! Every country experiences problems and the racism is far far worse in many other countries not just in football but every other sport. Lewis Hamilton is regularly booed by the fans in Spain for example. Laser pens are a regular feature in many East European matches as is the horrendous violence on and off the pitch about which UEFA nor FIFA have acted.

The behaviour of some of the fan is so embarrassing and I hate our corrupt government. I don’t know what the future holds for my children. I’m seriously considering my options of leaving

^^user1492450936
I'm glad I got out of the UK whilst I still could. Am also ashamed of the behaviour of the so-called fans - beating up the Danish family, booing the opposition's anthems
Loved Gary Neville's TV comment comparing the leadership of the English football team with the non-leadership of the government
I hope they win, because the team an management deserve it but I feel it will just lead to more xenophobic and nationalist posturing by Johnson

Totally agree!

But they haven't won..life's shit at moment.
Boris is a tit...and we possibly wouldnt have noticed Brexit if covid hadn't come along.

@User135654. I made the comment about having gone through a pandemic and I’m aware that it’s far from over. I absolutely was not saying that the pandemic is an excuse for bad behaviour - don’t quite know how you’ve arrived at that conclusion, but just to be clear, that is not what I meant. I was only pointing out that the bad behaviour is the work of a minority and shouldn’t detract from having something good to focus on after a very difficult time.

Your attitude is what is wrong with this country! Boooorrring!!

Every country experiences problems and the racism is far far worse in many other countries not just in football but every other sport.

Bollocks. This is the worse excuse for being a racist twat ever. Plenty of sports have non whites as primary competitors.
Rugby union doesn’t give a shit about colour. Island nations, black or mixed race men and women play at every level. Anyone making
monkeys noises would be seen as absurd.

Stop justifying poor behaviour as supporting sport. It’s really not. The game - whichever you follow - is the point. You want to watch fantastic games and amazing p,ay. The tribalism is unhealthy.

@MrsBadcrumble123. Not sure who that’s directed at.

@JudgeJ
That’s a ridiculous statement of whataboutery. We are talking about England, the England Team, English domestic abuse, English fans shouting racism, english fans being disrespectful and abusive, English fan use of laser pens. What the fans in other countries do is irrelevant in this case because the OP was taking about an English team and English fans and English behaviour. Not Scottish French Ukrainian.

I have 2 children and I don’t stop teaching them correct behaviour because I see other children behaving badly and say ‘ok i shouldn’t be so tough on you because other kids behave like that.’ My children are taught and expected to behave properly despite the behaviour of others. Just because other country’s fans may not behave any better.. we should what? Forgive beating a family up, ridiculing a 9 year old girl and making her the centre of trigger abuse, booing other national anthems, booing the team…. That’s ok is it?

I’m ashamed of English fans who behave in this way because they represent England, my country, at an internationally streamed match. When I say to people I was born and raised in England and I love it, I don’t want to be judged by the behaviour of these tests. Because quite honestly there isn’t much that we as a country, or a union that Engalnd and the UK that makes me that proud of recently. Brexit, fall out of Brexit, Tory government, COVID response and on and on and on…. The world has seen these things. England is often confused with the UK in totality. The English fans represent our country. They should represent us better.

*twitter

@Whatamess582 Because quite honestly there isn’t much that we as a country, or a union that Engalnd and the UK that makes me that proud of recently

We have arguably the best healthcare in the world, free for everyone. Throughout the pandemic, frontline NHS staff have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic, generous people from all walks of life have stepped forward and raised millions for charity and there have been numerous acts of kindness. I could go on, because there ARE plenty of positive things to focus on. But you can’t find anything to be proud of. Not looking very far are you ?

I’m very proud of them. But internationally no one was looking at the English health service and judging them as representatives of the English, or Britain. That’s a very national level and many countries were doing that. The clapping of health services was happening for 2-3 full weeks before the UK all over Europe. Why? Because those countries locked down 2-3 full weeks before the UK because they had governments who took the appearance of the coronavirus pandemic much more seriously than the UK.
English football in the Euros is however representative of England and Britain all over the world. Brexit is international news. The highest death rate in the world is international news. Boris Johnson and Northern Ireland being a sticking point and dominating conversations at the G7 is international news…. That’s what I was alluding to.

@pam290358
I answered above but didn’t tag you.

And arguably is right….. the UK thinks it’s the best. Many countries think theirs is the best…. It’s not really quantifiable.
And certainly arguable.

@OutComeTheWolves

England is not evil. I can say that as a child of an Irish parent, who was taught about the famine and who has studied history at degree level.

The parents who has no choice but to send children down the mines or up the chimneys fo stave off the perpetual threat of the workhouse in the 19th century were not evil. Children who before the Factory Act of 1850 working 12 hour days and weekends to supplement the dire wages of their family and that meant starvation was avoided for another week, they were not evil. You’ve read Dickens I presume or seen the films. Read the Ragged Trousered Philanthropist and it will give an insight into how utterly powerless the poor were, the lack of enfranchisement meant they had no power over their own lives let alone anything else.

I’m not sure how they were responsible for the evil acts perpetrated by the British ruling classes who has no qualms in suppressing their own people let alone those across the Empire.

It is ludicrous to make such seeping generalisations that a whole nation must be evil.

And for the football. It’s the first time in 55 years our National team has reached the final. I have Italian friends who are joyfully anticipating the final and the bantering is great fun.

I would far prefer to watch the game with my Italians fiends (who by the way
must be also be considered very evil if we consider the Roman Empire), than with some here.

Best of luck for Sunday one and all.

Why be annoyed at other people's happiness? After such a tough year don't people deserve to be happy and full of beans? and how and why is this related to Boris Johnson or Brexit?

The England team are doing great. I’d love for them to win.
But I agree with everything else. Our government are an utter disgrace.
I see the football success as one thing where England are not an object of pity or ridicule at least.

I agree OP.

Corrupt, hypocritical government. Ignorant racist yobs insulting footballers. Home Secretary saying yobs have a right to boo, but now she's suddenly cheering England on in her usual always aiming to side with popularity way. Then again good old Boris has form for racist commentary too so, what odds?

Not to mention some truly disgusting social media posts.

It's all a shitshow, why should anyone be proud of that anyway

Completely agree with you OP, and I don’t get it. The U.K. is infinitely better at many sports other than football. Sports that don’t glamourise spitting, faking and fighting.

And yes BoJo will exploit it, and people will go on about it. They’ll be replacing rainbows with the St George cross, pity the country can’t get so patriotic on actual St George’s say, which passes without the sniff of interest every year.

Flipping Nora. I made my way through about 25 pages, but kind of gave up!

I’m not taking anything political from this, not sure where that worry comes from. I think the vast majority aren’t daft enough to think that a few Sm photos from politicians means they are your best bet!

For those that are choosing to support Italy (out of spite etc) - weird, but you do you.

I will be cheering the team on come Sunday. Whatever the outcome, my takeaway will be that everyone I know has enjoyed the tournament.

Yes, there are elements that need looking at. But the vast majority of those watching and enjoying don’t fall into that category.

I am half Italian half English, and if the fans boo during the Italian national anthem I will have to turn the TV off. A shame as I want to watch the match.

@Examsofficer

I am half Italian half English, and if the fans boo during the Italian national anthem I will have to turn the TV off. A shame as I want to watch the match.

You could always just not watch the national anthems? Or ignore the booing?

Although it is dickish for the anthems to be booed and I hate that it happens.

@Examsofficer

I am half Italian half English, and if the fans boo during the Italian national anthem I will have to turn the TV off. A shame as I want to watch the match.

Hope you turn the tv off when Italian fans booed the Swedish anthem or the French or the German anthem?

Or are you just being bitter because it’s England?