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Euro 2020: England’s various team wins fans | Football Stories

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Hannah Kumari has been a fan of English football since she was a child, but did not want to fly the English flag. So far.

Kumari is one of millions of fans who rejoice that the English men’s team has reached the final of the Euro 2020 for the first time since winning the 1966 World Cup.

But like most British nationals, they became romantically involved with the English symbols.

However, embracing them has come easily, thanks to the young, diverse teams that are advancing to the European Championship.

After beating Denmark 2-1 in a semifinal watched by half of the country’s population, England met Italy for the last time at London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

“When I wake up in the morning I think, ‘I’m buying a St. George flag to put on the window on Sunday,'” Kumari, who was born in England to Indian women and Scottish fathers, said the following day at a game in Denmark.

“I never had an English shirt. Something has changed. I feel like the team has given me permission to feel like I can wear an England shirt. ”

The last few years have been difficult for England and the rest of the UK.

Britain’s exit from the European Union – an election driven by persecution of immigrants – has left the country in a state of disarray.

More than 128,000 people have died in the UK during the coronavirus epidemic, which is the most common in Western Europe.

But the Euro has provided the most important joy and happiness. Millions of people are tired of the stereotypes of bad news supporting a group whose members speak out against racism, kneel down before the game, support LGBTQ pride, a campaign against poverty and, successfully, win games.

For decades, supporting England has been synonymous with lost hopes.

The country’s most popular song “Three Lions” – first released in 1996 – evokes England’s triumph in 1966 and a prolonged drought: “Thirty years of injuries, it has not stopped me from dreaming.”

The last 30 years have been 55, but England is dreaming again.

The hope of the world lies in a world very different from the white one of 1966.

A painting created by the Museum of Migration shows how an England team can look without players who had a parent or grandparent born abroad: three of the 11 who started playing left behind.

Not to mention was a star including captain Harry Kane, whose father is Irish; Marcus Rashford, whose mother is from Saint Kitts; Jamaican-born Raheem Sterling; and Buyako Saka, from London with Nigerian parents.

The group is not well known for its impact on health care, inspired by the 23-year-old Rashford’s campaign against child poverty, which prompted the government to reinstate dinner for thousands of children.

Last week, Kane, 27, wore a rainbow dress to support LGBTQ pride in England and Germany matches.

Players may be millions of youngsters, but they celebrate their homeland as well as the international community.

Rashford’s childhood in the working area of ​​Manchester reinforces his work to fight poverty; Kalvin Phillips is the proud son of a northern city of Leeds; Sterling called himself “Brent’s son” after the city of London where he grew up.

For some, their success has helped keep English proud rather than embarrassing.

“There has been a dramatic change between the ages so that people can perceive themselves as white and integrated across ethnic and religious backgrounds,” said Sunder Katwala, director of the tank of British equality equality.

Most immigrants in Britain do not speak English, but the good news is that their children will know.

Katwala said sports and sports teams do not drive social change but “accept the changes that have taken place in the community”.

“When I was a teenager, we used to play football with all the familiar problems in England: violence, racism, violence,” Katwala said.

He also described the modern, multilingual group in England as part of a “cultural revolution” that has “transformed public discourse in English”.

England fans celebrate their team’s victory against Denmark [Pool via Reuters]

Not everyone thinks a national football team represents all the best in England.

Some established commentators ridiculed the players as “aroused” by illegal means.

Members of the club were ridiculed by some fans as they knelt against racism before the game.

Internal Secretary Priti Patel condemned the kneeling, called “security politics” and refused to criticize.

Success has eliminated serious, temporary opposition.

Politicians flocked to England. Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a frequent critic of anti-apartheid and anti-apartheid protests in Britain, took part in the match on Wednesday, wearing an England jersey and shirt.

He is forced to announce a holiday if England win the final Sunday.

‘Southgate leadership school’

Some have compared Britain’s political leaders to the unwillingness of international manager Gareth Southgate, who has made his young players the most united team in England over the years.

Labor Opposition MP Thangam Debbonaire urged Johnson to study at “Gareth Southgate leadership school”.

“The British people are asking themselves who they want to lead. Do they want a man who works hard and always adheres to British principles, or does he want a current Prime Minister?” Debbonaire told Parliament.

Southgate spoke to the team’s opponents in an opening letter at the start of the tournament, saying its players could not “stick to the ball” and remain silent about the public.

“I have a responsibility on the big team to use my voice, as well as the players,” he wrote.

“It’s clear to me that we’re going to a more tolerant and understanding world, and I know that our guys have been a big part of this.”



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