To think this is grammatically incorrect or something?

[tinnedpears]

'It's coming home"
What is coming home, exactly? A football? In which case it should be 'The football's coming home'

Or the cup is coming home? In which case it would surely be 'The cup's coming home'

I'm being a pedant, I know, but it doesn't make sense!!

I posted something to do with this on another thread, but I don't mind repeating myself here.

Football coming home is an allusion to the myth that league football was invented by the British and given to the world (via the British Empire) as a gift.

Although Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds probably did not realise it, they created one of the most offensive football songs in living memory.

I think it refers to the fact that originally the game of association football was developed in England, therefore if England win it it returning to its roots. It is a metaphor and it’s unwise to try to be over pedantic in analysing it.

@Passthesauce 😂 I came on to say exactly the same thing! If you think Three Lions is bad, Vindaloo will kill you!

I take it to mean that the English invented football and 'educated' other countries into how to play it, and if they win it, the trophy will return to it's (the teachers) 'rightful' home. Despite lots of sources saying it was first played in China years before, the rules were apparently first recorded in England.
Colonialism at its finest.

Maybe football disappeared to the same place as sexy, before Justin Timberlake brought it back.

This may or may not be true but I read that football was invented in England, they would inflate a pig's bladder and have s match with that.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll

Partly x-posted with Adreinnesarmy there.

I think your summary is more eloquent doffs hat 😁

It's not THE football or THE cup which is being referred to. It's the sport of football.

Im going to play football.
I like football
I watch football

None of these sentences require a "the" before them.

Football and football are both nouns. Football as in the sport Is uncountable, a football/ the football as in the object is countable.

Helps?

Where on earth are you from?
We're from England
Where you come from
Do you put the kettle on?
Kick it
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (bonjour)
Nah nah nah (monsieur)
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah Nah
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
England!
Can I introduce you please
To a lump of cheddar cheese
Knit one, pearl one
Drop one, curl one
Kick it
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah
Nah nah nah Nah
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
England!
Me and me Mum and me Dad and me Gran
We're off to Waterloo
Me and me Mum and me Dad and me Gran
And a bucket of Vindaloo
Bucket!
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
Vindaloo nah nah
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
Vindaloo nah nah
Vindaloo
Vindaloo
And we all like Vindaloo
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
England!
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
And we all like Vindaloo
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah nah nah
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
Nah nah nah (Vindaloo)
And we all like Vindaloo
We're England
We're gonna score one more than you
England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

(It's coming home) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️⚽️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿❤️⚽️

Don’t try to deconstruct Bohemian Rhapsody @tinnedpears, your head will explode!

It means the game of football, surely? England claims to have created the game and, by winning an international tournament, it’s ‘coming home’...

I think the song was originally about England hosting a tournament which makes more sense I guess.

Does it really matter? It’s catchy enough.

You’re a rubbish pedant, it’s not grammatically incorrect at all.

I’m not a fan of the song (especially since there’s a pub up my road who keep playing it on full blast!) but I don’t see how it’s grammatically incorrect.

‘It’ refers to football. Like if you said ‘where’s the football?’ and I replied ‘it’s in the shed’ (referring to a physical ball) or ‘it’s at Wembley’ (referring to a match)

@unnumber

Here are some Danish footballers not taking it entirely seriously

That aged well 😂😂

@mrsorms

I posted something to do with this on another thread, but I don't mind repeating myself here.

Football coming home is an allusion to the myth that league football was invented by the British and given to the world (via the British Empire) as a gift.

Although Baddiel, Skinner and the Lightning Seeds probably did not realise it, they created one of the most offensive football songs in living memory.

Association football was first played I'm England. The FA was the first official governing body of tbe sport. To suggest otherwise is offensive. There is absolutely no question on the origins of association football.

Not making sense isn't synonymous with being grammatically incorrect.

Frank Skinner was talking about this on his radio programme this morning. He didn't want to use the word 'football' but the had the Its coming home bit, and the melody and needed a word to fit. Ian Brodie suggested football, and it worked.
My issue is, if we win and football comes home, what then? It will be like a sulky adult who has to come home to his parents when his life goes wrong.

Give it a rest 🤦🏼‍♀️

Classic @MouldyPotato

I assume its the Euro trophy?

As in the trophy's coming home.

Which is ridiculous as we have never won the Euros, so technically it has never had England as its 'home'.

The irritating song was for the world cup which had actually been home here for a brief spell.

Maybe football disappeared to the same place as sexy, before Justin Timberlake brought it back.

That reminds me of the hilarious version of that song that Josh Widdecombe did once on The Last Leg - beginning with (in his best irritated teacher voice) "It has been brought to my attention that Sexy has gone missing!"

Why, thank you, @Adreinnesarmy

@allstressedoutandnowheretogo
I think @footballscominghome has just made our point

I do wish people would Google this before asking on MN or social media.

It feels like it's just another "moan about how silly and uneducated the chavvy football is" thread under the guise of an obtuse question.

This has mostly been covered now but, even before the song was written, "Football Comes Home" was the official slogan of the Euro 96 tournament. Referring, as others have got more or less correct, to (international) football returning to the professional game's roots in England where a major tournament was being staged for the first time in 30 years.