Fans celebrate England’s six of the best
ENGLAND kicked off their World Cup campaign with a resounding victory over Iran – and there were plenty of people back home celebrating with them.
Supporters who had managed to get the day off work – and possibly some that hadn’t – packed pubs and fan zones across the country for the 1pm kick-off.
The bar was open at Bristol City’s Ashton Gate home for fans to join in the fun and there was also a fan zone set up in the city where former Bristol Rovers favourite Ian Holloway made an appearance.
Fans sang “It’s Coming Home” as they waited for the game to start at the Budweiser fan festival at a fanzone in London.
Accountant Tom Davies, 25, from Birmingham, said: “I’ve been pacing up and down this room so much that I could start raising money for the NHS.”
Traffic levels were down in several cities yesterday morning as many fans worked from home to watch the World Cup opener.
But there was at least one pub in Hereford that decided not to show the game.
The Victory Pub & Hereford Brew- ery pub has decided not to show any of the World Cup matches due to “being a company of good faith and strong beliefs”.
The tournament has been shrouded in controversy due to the Gulf state’s human rights record.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, with a prison sentence or even the death penalty being imposed if anyone breaks the country’s strict law.
Comedian Joe Lycett even tried to persuade David Beckham to step down from his role of ambassador for the tournament and appeared to shred £10,000 of his own money in protest after the former England star did not meet his demand.
England also bowed to pressure not to wear the ‘One Love’ armband because of the risk of sporting sanctions.
A joint statement from seven European nations who had signed up to the One Love campaign - which included England and Wales - confirmed the armbands will no longer be worn due to fear of yellow cards being issued.
Posting on its Facebook page, The Victory Pub & Hereford Brewery said: “We are a company of good faith and strong beliefs and after much discussion we cannot in good faith show a single football match from Qatar.
“We understand how difficult for some people it will be to accept this choice but we have decided we must be true to ourselves. The lack of tolerance in the nation of Qatar means we will not give a platform for them to sportwash themselves. Good luck to the home nations.”