Keep the parade on ice!

NO one wants to talk about a London parade for England’s World Cup over-achievers until after tomorrow’s semi-final against Croatia. But it will take place if England reach the final — with the likelihood that the Greater London Authority and the Department of Media, Culture and Sport will pick up the tab. One added complication, which means any open-top bus ride will be next Tuesday, is that the FA have yet another appearance in front of the DCMS committee on Wednesday to discuss the proposed sale of Wembley. FA chief executive Martin Glenn has promised to attend — but hopefully not with the same hapless independent advisers who prepared Glenn and FA chairman Greg Clarke for their last disastrous performance there. FOUR European teams in the semi-finals of the World Cup is great news for UEFA — not only ahead of Euro 2020, but also their Nations League starting this autumn — especially as England and semi-final rivals Croatia are in the same group. Until now, the Nations League had been seen as something nobody particularly wanted or understood.