World Cup 2018: ‘Such a shame that more England fans aren’t out here to witness the adventure’
Visit Russia? You Moscow! The pre-tournament scaremongering has put off Three Lions' supporters from travelling but reality is Russians have proved to be great hosts.
THE great shame is that England’s fans are missing out on the big adventure.
In Samara tomorrow, when the country plays a World Cup quarter-final for the first time since 2006, there will only be 1,608 official travelling supporters.
On a stage as grand as this, with an entire nation willing Gareth Southgate’s side to reach the semi-final, it is a pitiful figure.
England’s fiercely-loyal following has been put off by the endless dark warnings from Whitehall about hooliganism, racism and widespread corruption.
All that political posturing between the Kremlin and the British Government has discouraged people.
Even left-back Danny Rose admitted before the tournament that he would dissuade his family from flying out because of fears black stars would be subjected to racism.
The reality is that Russia have been magnificent hosts.
Although the political climate is uncertain, amplified by the discovery of the nerve agent Novichok in Amesbury on Wednesday, the dispute is taking place above the head of any English football fan.
Even so, at the biggest England game at a World Cup since the 4-1 defeat against Germany in Bloemfontein in 2010, Southgate’s side will have minimal support inside the Cosmos Stadium. This magnificent arena should be packed to the rafters with fans from England and Sweden.
Instead there will be a pocket of them at one end, making a racket as usual with their catchy ‘1234, wooah, England’s going all the way’ song.
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Even if they do go all the way, there will not be many more inside Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on July 15.
The FA worked closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office before the tournament, taking on board their advice about security concerns here.
Memories of 2016, when Russian thugs clashed with England fans in Marseilles’ cobbled streets, were still fresh.
When England got going against Tunisia in Volgograd, the FA had sold just 1,510 tickets through official channels to our fans.
For the Panama game in Nizhny Novgorod there were 1,872, Belgium 2,659 and just 1,415 for the last 16 clash with Colombia on Tuesday.
Even if Southgate’s men make it through to the semi-final, also at the Luzhniki, they are struggling to convince England supporters to travel.
The official Fifa allocation for England fans at the semi will be 2,180, a number agreed with the FA before the tournament.
If they reach the final, the current allocation is just 3,553. At the third/fourth placed game in St Petersburg a week on Saturday, England asked for just 672 tickets.
That reluctance to buy into a tournament in Russia is one of the major failings.
The reality is that it has been a enjoyable experience, with locals going out of their way to be friendly and hospitable. They have tolerated language ignorance, helpfully putting it to one side the to make the World Cup experience as painless as possible.
The Russian public deserve credit for that because they really do get a bad rap from the west.
In St Petersburg on Sunday, when Russians were celebrating their extraordinary victory over Spain, there were impromptu parties on every street.
The stadiums could not have been easier to find, to access, or to enjoy because the operation at every game has been slick and speedy.
Sadly, very few England supporters will experience it.
Southgate’s players are hugely appreciative of the fans who have made it out to every game.
It is at the matches, especially when they were being drowned out by noisy Colombians at Moscow’s Spartak Stadium, that they deserved so much praise.
The memories of Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Jamie Vardy and Kieran Trippier obligingly taking selfies for the fans was something very special to watch.
Then there was Southgate, emerging from the victorious dressing room and heading over to thank them for their support.
Like everyone else, he will just wish more people were here to witness the rebirth of English football.
GERMANY RIGHT TO STICK BY LOEW
GERMAN football made the right call when they announced that their 2014 World Cup-winning manager is staying on.
Joachim Low has an enviable tournament record.
He led Germany to glory in Brazil four years ago, along with third place in 2010, Confederations Cup success in 2017, plus a runners-up spot at Euro 2008 and two semi-final appearances (2012, 2016).
Germany finished bottom of their group here after they were beaten 2-0 by South Korea but Low deserves another crack at the Euros in two years’ time.
Low has pedigree and, crucially, Germany still have the players to come back from tournament failure.
SOUTHGATE A FAB GUY FOR STARS
GARETH SOUTHGATE showed complete respect for his players when he spoke about Fabian Delph returning home for the birth of his child.
Southgate’s modern, mature approach has earned him the trust and admiration of his squad as England try to reach their first World Cup semi-final since 1990.
Despite the obvious demands and unique pressures of tournament football, Southgate still insisted that Delph’s family was far more important than the last- 16 clash with Colombia.
In return his players are rewarding his classy, dignified approach by winning World Cup matches.