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Southgate warns England fans not to boo Italy anthem in Euro final

AFP
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Southgate warns England fans not to boo Italy anthem in Euro final
Gareth Southgate during the England-Denmark Semi-Final, where England fans booed the Danish national anthem. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/Pool EPA/AP | Andy Rain

England fans have faced criticism for booing the national anthems of opposing teams throughout the Euros - now manager Gareth Southgate has stepped in to warn them not to boo Italy's anthem during the final.

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Gareth Southgate has warned England fans not to boo Italy's national anthem before the Euro 2020 final on Sunday.

Around 60,000 England supporters will turn Wembley into a hostile environment for Italy as the Three Lions aim to win their first major title
for 55 years.

The German, Danish and Scottish national anthems were all loudly jeered by England fans at Wembley earlier in the tournament.

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England manager Southgate is keen to avoid a repeat, both out of respect for Italy and also because he believes it would fire up Roberto Mancini's team.

READ ALSO: ‘Il Canto degli Italiani’: What the Italian national anthem means – and how to sing it

"It's important our fans always respect the opposition," Southgate said.

"We know that when we play abroad and fans boo our anthem it inspires them more. I don't think it will help the team.

"We can intimidate the team booing during the game, but it is different for the anthem."

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Anonymous 2021/07/11 19:37
Maybe they'll boo them taking the knee too. Oh yeah, wait, then they'll be banned from ever going to games again after being identified by the orwellian observation system. You know, cause free speech exists for the players, i.e. the powerful and privledged, but not for the everyday person.
  • arneis 2021/07/12 05:42
    This is true.

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