Supporters rush to Russia as World Cup fever takes hold
THOUSANDS of England fans are expected to rush for Russia after the Three Lions qualified for the knockout stages with a game to spare.
Only 2,000 supporters made the journey to Nizhny Novgorod to see Gareth Southgate’s men put six past Panama. But with pre-tournament fears over hooliganism and racism proving unfounded, many more are now expected to join them for Thursday’s clash against Belgium and for the following knockout stages.
Gullivers Travel, which runs England Supporters Travel Club trips, said all the tickets for the Belgium game, which will take place in the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, have already sold out, but black market tickets are understood to still be available.
England fans travelling without official tickets however will need to apply for a visa before they set off in order to get in to Russia.
Before yesterday’s thrilling result the Football Association was reporting that just 1,500 tickets had been sold for the first round of the knockout stages.
But now England is guaranteed to progress, that figure is expected to soar, with as many as 10,000 thought likely to travel to Russia to lend the team their support. A spokesman for the travel organisation, ABTA said: “It’s been World Cup fever since England’s win in the first game.”
Mark Perryman, a veteran England supporter who has been travelling to World Cup matches for the last 30 years, said: “Fans were put off by suggestions of hooligans, authoritarian police, racism and homophobia – but it’s not been anything like that.
“While Germany and Brazil are struggling, England’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals are suddenly much more rosy – and fans can see that.”
England’s record beating performance also provided a welcome boost for the country’s pubs, with more than 15million pints of beer sold yesterday.
Encouraged by the fine weather, football fans across the country opted to leave their sofas and enjoy the match in pubs and beer gardens across the country. Experts claim that yesterday’s lunchtime kick off will have resulted in an extra £150million for the industry, with millions of extra pub meals also being sold.