BIG-MATCH SPECIAL
INTERNATIONAL MATCH ACTION
blazers at the FA have stuck him in handcuffs and placed a blindfold across his face. Did it not occur to them that a build-up somehow free of anti-social behaviour would perhaps reduce the risks that lie in wait for those intending to encounter Russian forces in June and July?
Instead, the whole episode simply poked the host nation with a big stick and stoked the prejudices Russians have about English fans.
The chances of these fans now returning from Russia with love are slimmer than England’s chances of winning the World Cup itself. Which is saying something.
Gareth Southgate must feel like he’s banging his head against a brick wall – and that’s because he is.
Prior to kick-off he appealed to travelling supporters to behave, saying: “We would hope to be good ambassadors for our country when we travel abroad. That’s a big part of being an England player.
“It’s important that our fans come and enjoy the game, support us in the right way, but I’d strongly urge them to behave in the right way and respect our opponents and the country they’re in. They’re representing our country, like we are. They mirror the country they’re from.”
The reflection is not good. Travelling fans jeered and booed the Dutch national anthem, while home supporters applauded ours.
Then, within 20 minutes, a handful of them had to be turfed out of the rival section, much to the amusement of their mates, before Gordon Strachan and Scotland became the first targets of abusive chanting. Even though Strachan is no longer Scotland boss...
It was as depressing as it was predictable. The standard song of the modern hooligan includes the chorus ‘Don’t take me home, please don’t take me home’.
Authorities in Russia might be left with no choice, with deportation the only option.