The Kingdom is not so much United, as we will see the final of Euro 2020 between England and Italy on Sunday evening. Old injuries, political disagreements or the arrogance of English fans will ensure that Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish fans bring joy to the Assyrians.

For the first time since 1966, when the National Three Lions team reached the final of a major tournament and exploded with joy all over England, fans in neighboring countries were less than excited. Often, they say, “Everyone is happy here as long as they are not in England.”

“Asking Wales fans to support England is tantamount to asking Everton fans to support Liverpool,” sports journalist Tom Williams wrote on Twitter. He added that England represent Wales’ best opponent in the sport. Yes, they are a good team, they have a good manager, but you cannot actively support your opponents, ”he said.

According to an online poll conducted by Good Morning Britain, 63% of fans from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will support Italy. The reasons for this animosity are similar from one country to another. “Wales has been subjected to centuries of repression from England, and Boris Johnson’s government will only think of us when it’s time,” journalist Laura Kemp told the Wales Online, a local newspaper. Not to mention the “Neanderthals” who destroy bars, squares and gardens wherever they go, ”he said of the English fans and their“ arrogance ”and“ conjecture ”.

The English response is based on the belief that dividing fans is based solely on what Hoolings does, while being proud is actually just a way to support their team. Representing the hearts of critics is the “upcoming home of football”, the national anthem of Euro 1996, often sung by English fans. As critics have pointed out, this is an arrogant phrase given England’s repeated defeats since winning the 1966 World Cup.

Football Is football coming home? So will England own this sport? I don’t think so, ”Graeme Sense, a former Scottish international and Liverpool legend, wrote in the Times. Football When was football at home? When did you achieve anything? Danish goalkeeper Caspar Schmeichel played in the semi-final between England and Denmark on Wednesday.

But the group’s song Lightning Seeds is the opposite of normal football songs, mocking the blind optimism of so many English fans. The song is about “a dream that never came true, about the glory of the past, about the missed opportunities”.

While all four countries are happy to support their common team when competing under Union Jack at the Olympics, their personal participation in soccer tournaments highlights the political and identity divide that Brexit has exacerbated.

In the smallest third, England, with a population of 56 million and a seat of central power, includes conservatism, colonial rule, and centuries of oppression. Scottish TV presenter Stuart Cosgrove is shocked when Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Home Minister Preity Patel claim England wear T-shirts “representing the British government” in the tournament, saying “If Scotland had not gone yet they would not have done so”.

Despite all this, some fans say that the team that took a stand against racial or gender discrimination impressed themselves by kneeling before the start of the games. Most are from striker Marcus Rashford, who forced the British government to provide school-generated school meals for students in need during the Kovid-19 pandemic.

“English imperialism, which people like to hate, has nothing to do with the English team,” admits Laura Kemp, who greets “players who challenge the institution, like Wales, who were exhausted by the ancestors of the elite.” .

Euro 2020: Results and Levels