Big screen frenzy as fans chase best views
MORE than a hundred thousand England fans will watch tomorrow’s World Cup semi-final on giant screens.
Dozens of outdoor viewing spots are hurriedly being set up in time for the match against Croatia.
Hyde Park will host 30,000 fans in London, 10,000 will descend on Pier Head in Liverpool and 8,000 will cram into the Castleford Bowl in Manchester. The website for Hyde Park tickets crashed in seconds as thousands logged on to apply for a free spot.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: ‘World Cup fever has gripped London and the rest of the nation and we have all been swept away by the fantastic exploits of Gareth Southgate’s team. Wednesday evening is a huge opportunity for our boys to do what many of us thought was impossible before the World Cup began and reach the final. I am sure Londoners of all ages and backgrounds will come together in their thousands at Hyde Park to cheer England on what could be an historic night.’
Councils have been scrambling to get screens up, with Liverpool confirming their venue yesterday and Southampton, Cambridge and Portsmouth councils considering their options.
Pubs, bars and outdoor venues have got in on the act too – hiking prices for entry to sought-after venues.
Fans in Newcastle were outraged when the price of a ticket in Times Square was raised from £5 for the group matches to £22 for tomorrow’s semi-final and £27.50 for the final.
In London, Vauxhall Street Food Garden increased its price from £10 for the quarter-final to £16.50 for the semi-final. The mass gatherings have also raised the prospect of more post-match trouble, with police issuing warnings after widepsread carnage on Saturday.
In London an ambulance was trashed and a family narrowly avoided being mown down by a driver with two topless fans on
‘Threats of violence’
his bonnet. One fan jumped off the top of a double-decker in the capital – straight through the glass roof of bus stop.
World Cup screenings have been cancelled in Middlesbrough because council staff were subjected to ‘abuse and threats of violence’ during Saturday’s match. There were also outbreaks of disorder in the town centre. However, the majority of events passed without a hitch, with more than ten million choosing to go out to watch the match. Twenty million more tuned in to watch at home, and an estimated 38million pints of beer were drunk.
Many fans appear to have been inspired to head straight for Russia, with enquiries for private jets soaring.
St Albans firm PrivateFly said it had received hundreds of requests after Saturday’s match. The firm is offering nine-seater return flights to Moscow for between £45,000 and £50,000.
Carol Cork, the company’s cofounder, said enquiries had been 20 times higher than usual since England’s penalty shootout win over Colombia in the first knockout round last week.