Liam Murray says he will be supporting England on Sunday “despite being an Ayrshire Scot”. Having backed the Scotland team in the group stages, “anyone but England” is not for him.
“I’ve always felt Scotland’s progress as a country will come when we have a more relaxed, mature attitude to our neighbour,” says Murray, 49, a risk management specialist. “That doesn’t necessarily mean cheering them on but it definitely means none of this buying the strip or flag of whomever they’re playing.”
Like many Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish fans, regardless of whether they’re planning to cheer on England in the Euro 2020 final or turn to Netflix to avoid it, Murray suggests it is the personal calibre of Gareth Southgate and his team that has tempered rivalries among the home nations during this tournament.
“The character of Southgate and his team are part of why anti-English attitudes are softening. Compared to 30 years ago when football stars were more from the rockstar mould, I think progressive Scots are quietly impressed by Marcus Rashford’s school meals campaigning, their stance on taking the knee, and the team’s apparent independence from the worst parts of the UK media.”
Feeling somewhat less benign is Hamish Husband, of the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, who is planning a news blackout and a Netflix marathon over the weekend. However, his beef is with the “overwhelming” media hype rather than the team.
“As a Scotland fan I can’t support England, but that’s a football thing, nothing to do with politics. At the end of the Wembley game [where Scotland and England drew 0-0] I wished the England fans I was sitting next to well, fan to fan. But I have to switch off when they hijack the BBC.”
Paul Corkrey, of the Football Supporters’ Association Cymru, says England are “a good football team and Gareth Southgate is a nice chap, but all this ‘coming home’ and getting arrogant – it’s driving everybody mad in Cardiff, to be honest.”
The England team are a pleasure to watch, he says, but with the volume down. “The media saturation has spoiled it for everyone else. There was the laser pen, the dodgy penalty, and the way these were dismissed by the pundits. Imagine if they win this, what we’ll have to put up with then.”
Andy Bell, a presenter of Northern Ireland’s Spirit of 2016 football podcast, is more forgiving as far as the effusive headlines are concerned – “you should be dreaming as football fans” – but likewise calls for more consistency from pundits when criticising English and foreign players over, for example, penalty awards.
The podcast, named in celebration of the first time Northern Ireland made it to the knockout rounds of a European Championship, took an informal poll which found listeners split on whether to support England. “For some there’s still very much a political identity factor to it; for others it’s because this is probably the most likable England team in terms of manager and players in a long time.”
In particular, Bell believes their anti-racism stance has impressed Northern Irish fans. “People respect that the players made a stand and didn’t allow themselves to be bullied.”
However England fare on Sunday, Bell believes the championship has bolstered the confidence of the other home nations because its last two editions have featured 24 teams, expanded from 16. “The Euros have given the other three teams the belief they can qualify and target these championships with more success in the future.”
