Gareth Southgate has appealed to England fans in the Euro 2020 final not to bid on the Italian national anthem on Sunday night, urging them to “respect the opposition.”
The Football Association was fined £ 25,500 by UEFA after fans chanted the Danish national anthem, set off fireworks in the stadium and lit a laser pen in Kasper Schmeichel’s eyes before the decisive penalty kick in Wednesday’s semi-final victory.
And when asked about his position on renting the national anthem during Saturday night’s press conference, Southgate urged supporters to “respect” Italy’s anthem and suggested that the giant could further allude to its rivals.
“It’s important that our fans always respect the opposition and we know that actually when we play abroad and fans invite our anthem probably inspires us even more, so I do not think it will help the team,” Southgate explained.
“I think we can scare the team with alcohol during the game, but it’s different for the anthem. I think we should be respectful. ”
Southgate went on to suggest that his players are “very calm” and “prepared” for Sunday’s Euro 2020 final, while encouraging their stars to “make history”.
“We are very calm. We have a lot of faith in these players and we have grown into this tournament. There have been opportunities to make history every time we play.
Southgate has asked fans not to bid on the national anthem / Visionhaus / Getty Images
“The players are ready, they are tactically aware, they are used to playing in these games and looking forward to it.
“In the last four years, they have beaten down so many obstacles, they have gone through so many challenges, different ways to win matches, they had to come back from being behind, they had to go through extra time, penalty kicks, so their resilience and experience as a team has prepared them for this moment. ”
Harry Kane joined the press conference with Southgate and the England captain reaffirmed that the team has broken down barriers under his coach and stated that they started the tournament with the intention of winning it.
“We have beaten down obstacles along the way, but we started the tournament with the goal of winning it – and we want to do that tomorrow night.”
Kane and Southgate are on the verge of history / Frank Augstein – Pool / Getty Images
Southgate and the players received a fantastic reception and broadcast from supporters on Saturday afternoon, as they left St George’s Park and began their journey to London in preparation for Sunday’s game.
England’s coach also received a letter from Queen Elizabeth, which he described as ‘fantastic’.
“It has been fantastic to have a letter from the Queen, a letter from the Prime Minister to the whole team and the recognition that the players and all the staff have gone through this in the right way,” he said.
“We had a fantastic reception when we left St Georges, all the local villages had come out and stood on the road and pulled in laymen so that you got a more sense of what happened outside the bubble we have been in.
Southgate has encouraged its players to make history / Justin Tallis – Pool / Getty Images
“But it always comes back to tomorrow, we are in a final and we are here to win. Everything is important how we have represented people and we are happy that the legacy has existed but now we want to win the trophy for everyone. “
England face the prospect of winning the European Championship for the first time in the country’s history on Sunday and becoming the first group of players to taste success since the famous 1966 World Cup winning side.
