Gareth Southgate has said that England fans SHOULD boo Italy in the Euro 2020 final… just not during the national anthem.
The England supporters in attendance at Wembley for the clash with Denmark last time out could be heard booing as they sang the national anthem, a united act of disrespect which has sparked a conversation over the past few days.
The man who the England fans are most likely to listen to is the one who has got them to this point of the competition – Gareth Southgate – without his influence none of this would have been possible.
He has now given his take on the national anthem booing, as quoted by the Daily Star:
“It’s important that our fans respect the opposition. We know that when we play abroad and fans boo our anthem it inspires us even more.”
“It won’t help the team, we can intimidate the opponents and boo during the game, but we need to be respectful.”
Southgate doesn’t appear to have any problem with the fans creating a hostile atmosphere for tonight’s opponents, but would like them to do so without disrespecting the Italian nation as a whole.
Come just shy of 8pm tonight, we’ll discover whether England fans have any intention of listening to him…
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