Gareth Southgate urges England fans ‘NOT to boo Italian national anthem’ before Euro final and insists Wembley crowd can ‘intimidate’ Azzurri after game kicks off
Gareth Southgate has called on England fans to show ‘respect’ to Italy during the national anthems at Wembley on Sunday.
The England manager believes booing the opposition’s national anthem will just motivate the Italian side more for the Euro 2020 final.
However, he has condoned booing of during the all-important fixture as England look to end their 55-year wait for some silverware.
Gareth Southgate has called on the England fans to show ‘respect’ to Italy on Sunday
Speaking at a press conference ahead of the final, Southgate said: ‘It’s important our fans respect the opposition.
‘We know when we play abroad and fans boo our anthem it probably inspires us even more.
‘We can intimidate the team with booing during the game but it’s different during the anthem.’
Southgate says he and his players are ‘pleased’ to have created a ‘legacy’ within English football and says that they are eager to ‘bring the trophy’ home.
He believes booing the Italian’s national anthem will only motivate them for the game
The England manager says fans can intimidate the team with booing during the game
He said: ‘It’s been fantastic to have the letter from the Queen and from the Prime Minister to all of the team and the recognition that the players and staff have gone about this the right way.
‘All the local villages came out, it always comes back to tomorrow. We’re in a final and we’re here to win.
‘We’re pleased that legacy has been there but we want to bring the trophy home for everybody.’
However, he insists England are ‘very calm’ heading into the all-important fixture and insists they are focused on ‘making history’.
The boss says he and his players are ‘pleased’ to have created a ‘legacy’ within English football
Southgate says his players are ‘very calm’ heading into the Euro 2020 final on Sunday
He said: ‘We’re very calm. We’ve got a lot of belief in this group of players. We’ve grown into the tournament.
‘We knew there were different phases of the tournament. We stayed calm after the Scotland game.
‘We were consistent in the way we carried ourselves and went about our work. From there it’s been opportunities to make history every time we’ve played.
‘We’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s a brilliant game to prepare for, they’re tactically very good.’
Although Southgate is confident about his players’ ability, he insists he and his team are not arrogant.
He also insists the England team is not arrogant but they are eager to bring the trophy home
Southgate also shared his thoughts Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s Three Lions song (above) – saying ‘you have to know the English to understand our humour’
When asked about Frank Skinner and David Baddiel’s Three Lions song, Southgate said: ‘I didn’t want to listen to it for 15 years.
‘You have to know the English to understand our humour. It’s certainly not arrogance. The lyrics are making fun of ourselves really.
‘It has always appeared at the tournaments. The atmosphere in the ground has been great.
‘We had people throwing paper aeroplanes three or four years ago, now the energy in the stadium is so important.’