ENGLAND fans yesterday called for boss Gareth Southgate to be knighted if his Three Lions side win the Euro 2020 final.
Mounting pleas for the honour came as millions of bleary supporters woke with their biggest hangover in 55 years after our historic semi-final victory over Denmark.
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The Prime Minister was among those heaping praise on team boss Southgate for masterminding Wednesday’s 2-1 win at Wembley.
Honours are decided twice a year by the Cabinet Office and announced at New Year and on The Queen’s official birthday in June.
In a major hint he would put the manager forward, Boris Johnson said yesterday: “I obviously wouldn’t want to anticipate anything the honours people may decide. But, clearly, I think Gareth Southgate has done an absolutely outstanding job.”
MPs and the public also joined calls for the 50-year-old England chief to be given a gong.
Julian Knight, Tory MP and chairman of the sports select committee, told The Sun that Southgate has “inspired a nation”
He said: “His contribution to football has been amazing. He definitely deserves a knighthood.” Meanwhile, fans nursed sore heads after sinking ten million pints.
During Wednesday’s game, nearly 60,000 a minute were pulled with a total of 6.8million downed.
Throughout the whole day, fans bought 9.7million pints. But the British Beer & Pub Association said that would have been nearer 12million with no Covid restrictions.
Chief executive Emma McClarkin said the Three Lions reaching the final was a huge boost to boozers.
Industry analysis shows that over England’s six games in the Euros, we have downed 21.1million pints, 1.2million gin and tonics, and three million glasses of wine.
The amount of boozing done yesterday no doubt added to emotions as celebrating fans poured into the streets from pubs and homes.
In Leeds, one man shed all his clothes and streaked along the A64 as cars drivers beeped their horns.
And in Headingley, a fan was caught by his mates after leaping off the roof of a Sainsbury’s store.
Traffic ground to a halt in central London as crowds blocked routes around Piccadilly Circus.
People clambered on to phone boxes and scaled the outside of Leicester Square Tube station. The Met Police made 23 arrests.
In Newcastle, traffic was also reduced to a crawl as supporters climbed on top of a bus while others banged on passing police cars, jumped up and down on bus shelters and leapt over taxis. One onlooker said: “I have lived in Newcastle all my life and never seen it like this. It was mental.”
In Leicester, crowds hurled plastic street bollards at each other.
And in Majorca, Spanish police used pepper spray and batons to try and clear streets in Magaluf.
Some went even further in showing their support. Courtney Harrison, 22, has had “It’s Coming Home” tattooed on her ankle.
The carer, of Workington, Cumbria, said: “I don’t even like football. My friends think I’m mad, although a few are thinking of doing the same before the final.”
Mum-of-three Lyndzi Harding, 35, of Diss, Norfolk, had her body painted in England colours with number ten on her back.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
