Harry’s no history buff

THE FA did everything right in terms of protocol in Volgograd, with chairman Greg Clarke and his lieutenants laying a wreath in the Hall of Military Glory in memory of the two million who lost their lives in the Battle of Stalingrad, signing the book on behalf of ‘the English FA’ — not the FA — and then going on to visit the rebuilt city’s superb museum.

So it was a pity no one in the FA party saw the need to brief captain Harry Kane about the heroic Russian resistance that was the turning point of the Second World War when the inevitable question arrived in the pre-match press conference.

‘History is what history is,’ wasn’t the best of answers from Kane.

FORMER Hull City and Russia manager Leonid Slutsky was on a Volgograd sightseeing trip in the memorial park up to the Motherland Calls statue, even though he comes from Volgograd and has visited the statue on numerous occasions. And Slutsky, proud of his background, was delighted to answer questions in English about the storied history of the place.

THERE is trouble brewing for the FA on the broadcasting front, with the tournament rights holders BBC and ITV both unhappy that Sky Sports and Doha-based beIN Sports are being granted one-to- one interviews in the England media centre.

And planned sit-down interviews with England captain Harry Kane by both UK rights holders were cancelled at the last minute because it was considered too much for Kane to do those chats plus the official pre-match press conference.