Football has a responsibility: Southgate in field invasions and violence
Gareth Southgate says England’s home game of the League of Nations against Italy is “a shame” at home next month.
The match in Molineux on June 11 will be held without the presence of fans after the Football Association was sanctioned for public problems.
It came after a series of incidents in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium between the two nations in July.
The FA was fined £ 84,560 for “lack of order and discipline” in the party.
Hundreds of ticketless fans entered Wembley and clashed with commissioners after areas around the stadium filled up hours before the start of the afternoon.
Many sat in the area reserved for the relatives of the players, while England defender Harry Maguire later said his father Alan suffered two suspicious broken ribs before the match.
Italy won the final 3-2 on penalties to become European champions after finishing 1-1 after extra time.
When asked if England came out indulgently with a two-match ban on fans, with a match suspended for 24 months, Southgate replied: “Well, we’re on a yellow card, right?
“That’s where we are. We are now ashamed to play behind closed doors at home.
“Normally, when you look at these things happening abroad, we all teach what someone else’s problem is and how this country should be treated, and now it’s us. That’s not a good idea for us. country “.
England hosted eight matches during Euro 2020 last summer
England play four League of Nations matches in June, with trips away from home to Hungary and Germany followed by a visit from Italy and a return match against the Hungarians on 14 June.
The opening match at the Puskas Arena will also take place in front of an empty stadium on June 4 after the Hungarian FA was punished for racist incidents on the last trip from England to Budapest.
The games come after a national season that ended with a series of high-profile field invasions across the country.
Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp was beaten by a fan in his knockout round at Nottingham Forest, while Crystal Palace coach Patrick Vieira was embroiled in an altercation with a fan in defeat of his team at Everton, and Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen was attacked. on Sunday, as Manchester City fans gathered on the pitch to celebrate their Premier League title victory.
Southgate called the recent unpleasant incidents a “concern” and urged football to address the issue before it changes the experience of the match.
“Clearly there is a responsibility within football because, when it is in our environment, we must do everything possible to try not to let it happen,” added the England coach.
“We all know that, but it’s a bigger problem. It is a behavior and a reflection on where we are as a country.
“It is a difficult time for people, we will spend more difficult time in the economy and the realities of the situation in which we find ourselves.
“But we have to look at what we are doing when it comes to parenting. What are your expectations?
“How do we want them to see us as a country because this is manifesting itself in football right now and that’s not a good thing. We don’t want to go back to the fences and the kind of environment it created.”
England is hosting the European Women’s Summer Championships and part of a UK-Ireland bid to host the men’s tournament in 2028, and Southgate fears they may be affected by more public trouble incidents.
“We still want to host events,” he added. “This summer we have a Women’s European Championship which should be a brilliant experience, and what we experienced last year was amazing.
“So we’re talking about something that might cost us a chance to do that kind of thing for people to look at from the outside.
“We still want to host, we still have great facilities, brilliant stadiums. What we don’t want is this element that distracts from the good things that are there.”