United Kingdom allegiance divided
Not all Brits rooting for England in World Cup
MOSCOW – Even the most casual of soccer fans know by now that England has qualified for the semifinals of the World Cup and that this fact has caused a reaction back home.
It must be a big old British party, right? Millions of British fans, all over the United Kingdom, singing and dancing and drinking too much while breathlessly hoping for Gareth Southgate and his boys to bring home the trophy. Right?
Actually, totally wrong. Or, if we are being generous, half right.
England is in the semifinals, where it will face Croatia at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday. And England is locked in an intense national obsession over its soccer team, which is also named England.
Great Britain, collectively is not. The United Kingdom is not. Indeed, in large parts of the broader nation that is the U.K., there are groups of fans who are actively cheering for anyone who faces England, meaning the sales of Colombia, Sweden and now Croatia jerseys have been spiking.
“Why would we want England to win?” Andrew Worthington, an engineer from Aberdeen, Scotland, told USA TODAY. “England don’t want Scotland to win. Their fans are arrogant at best, horrible at worst.”
A survey conducted by analytics firm You Gov showed that 35 percent of Scots wanted England to lose every game at the World Cup.
Britain has been politically divided by Brexit in recent times but has always been territorially separated when it comes to soccer.
The very first soccer international match ever played was between Scotland and England. Those teams, plus Wales and Northern Ireland, still play as separate entities.
Wales and Northern Ireland joined England in qualifying for the European Championship two years ago, where Wales made the semifinals. Only England made it to Russia.
A pub in Glasgow, Scotland’s largest city, advertised its broadcasting of World Cup games with the hashtag “Anyone But England.”
In Wales, things have gotten interesting. It might be a minority openly rooting against England, with the rest apathetic or loosely pleased England is succeeding. But the minority is loud and the suggestion is that by even lending tacit support to England is a reflection of an inferior level of fandom.
“Support England at the World Cup if you want,” tweeted the Barry Horns, a Wales national team fan group. “Just don’t give it the big one about how passionate you are about ‘Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau’ next time we play them.”
“Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” is Wales’ stirring anthem.
Meanwhile, a separate fan group on Facebook described as a “hero” a Welsh man who was spotted shopping while wearing a Croatia jersey and a Wales hat.
When BBC Wales jokingly tweeted “are we all English now?” after an England win earlier in the tournament, the outcry was so severe that the corporation, a government-funded entity, had to issue an apology.
Others disagree.
Sam Keeble, a student from Chepstow near the England/Wales border, did not want to miss out when a group of his English friends embarked upon a summer tour of Russia. Keeble has been here for a week, cheered on England in Samara, and says he doesn’t over think it.
“I am Welsh but I am a fan of the England team too and I’m not ashamed to say it,” he said. “Plenty of Welsh people are fans of Manchester United or Liverpool, even though Swansea and Cardiff have played in the (English Premier League). The whole ‘hate England’ thing is a bit over the top.”
The “Belfast Telegraph” reported that Northern Ireland is fairly split between those who want England to succeed and those who don’t. The level of England support seems to have increased, which might be due to how the current team is seen as being generally more likable than those of the past.
“We traditionally don’t want England to win at football,” Irish broadcaster Johnny Ward told the “Sunday Paper Review” television show, citing historical tensions between the countries and their soccer fan bases. “Their fans aren’t particularly likable, but this England team, I don’t see why you would have an issue. There’s no fanfare about them, there doesn’t seem to be much ego there.”
The geography of it all is rather confusing to the unfamiliar. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are countries but are not sovereign states. Great Britain is a geographical construct: It is a conjoined island that incorporates England, Scotland and Wales. The United Kingdom is a sovereign state and includes those three plus Northern Ireland.
The Republic of Ireland is physically adjoined to its Northern counterpart but is its own completely separate state.
It is rare that the United Kingdom countries all share national sporting pride, with the most prominent exception being the Olympics. Just to add to the confusion, the Olympic team is known as Great Britain, even though Northern Irish athletes participate.
In tennis, there is an old joke that has elements of truth to it. It suggests that former Wimbledon champion Andy Murray is on a short leash: “British when he wins, Scottish when he loses.”
Interestingly, one of the most popular songs chanted by England fans here is one borrowed from Welsh supporters from the Euros, the catchy and now iconic “Don’t Take Me Home.”
But they’ll be home soon enough, as this tournament has just days left to run, and it will either be on the back of a heroic failure or its first triumph since 1966. Scenes of joy and jubilation would be guaranteed to follow — in England at least.