England stars put World Cup thoughts on hold as they stage a minute’s silence for Grenfell victims at their Russian training camp
- Seventy two people died when the Grenfell Tower in Kensington, London, caught fire on June 14, 2017
- Vigils are being held across the country on Thursday to remember the victims of the devastating inferno
- Gareth Southgate’s England squad put their World Cup preparations on hold to pay their own tribute
- Harry Kane and Co bowed their heads and observed a minute’s silence during training in Zelenogorsk
A year on from the Grenfell fire tragedy, England’s footballers have taken time out of their World Cup preparations to remember the 72 people who lost their lives in the blazing inferno.
Vigils are being held across the country to mark the one-year anniversary of the blaze that devastated the 23-storey tower block in North Kensington, west London, after a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-floor flat.
Gareth Southgate’s squad are currently based in Repino, preparing for their opening game in the World Cup in Russia next week.
England’s World Cup squad held a minute’s silence to remember the 72 victims of the Grenfell Fire tragedy one year on
Manager Gareth Southgate (fourth from left), assistant Steve Holland (fourth from right) and Kyle Walker (right) pay tribute
The blaze devastated the tower in North Kensington, west London, after a fire broke out in the kitchen of a fourth-floor flat
Seventy two people died after the building (pictured here one year on) in the capital was caught in a blazing inferno
And as they trained on Thursday ahead of their clash with Tunisia on Monday, Harry Kane and Co paused to remember those who died.
Led by the manager and his captain, Kane, the squad bowed their head and remembered the 72 victims.
A staff member blew a whistle as the players stood in the centre circle of the Spartak Zelenogorsk stadium. A second whistle ended the tribute and the World Cup squad returned to their training schedule.
One observer said: ‘That was a great tribute and surprised a few of us.
‘It was respectful and timely. Most of us are thinking of that tragedy today despite us being so far away from home.’
Phil Jones, Jamie Vardy, Harry Kane, Jack Butland and Danny Rose bow their heads in silence at training on Thursday
One observer in Russia said of the silence: ‘ That was a great tribute and surprised a few of us. It was respectful and timely’
The Grenfell Tower, which was devastated by a fire that ripped through the 23-story building, is lit up in green one year on
Vigils and memorials are being held to mark the one-year anniversary of the inferno that shook the whole of Britain
In September 2017, former England players including Alan Shearer and David James joined forces with stars from the world of music and television to play in the Game 4 Grenfell.
The charity match, played only a mile from the tower block at QPR’s Loftus Road, helped raise money for those afflicted by the tragedy.
Now as the hours count down to football’s flagship tournament, Southgate’s young squad have joined the commemorations.
England face Tunisia on Monday before Group G games against Panama and Belgium.
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