This year, England play their opening game in a major international tournament at Wembley stadium. It has only happened twice before – in 1966 and 1996, the two most evocative years in English footballing history. Croatia come to Wembley having been World Cup finalists, having ended England’s dreams last time. So I find it discombobulating that England are said to be clear favourites for this game. Even in England’s most successful tournaments, the tradition has been to start with an edgy, nervous draw.
Yet this familiar pre-match cocktail of excitement and anxiety comes – this time – with a very unusual question: how many England fans will boo their own fans before the kick-off? In the pre-tournament friendlies at Middlesbrough, some supporters booed while others applauded as the players ‘took a knee’ as an anti-racism gesture.
The young players see there is more to do to challenge racism – in both sport and society. Gareth Southgate has set out why this is how they have chosen to make their point. The prime minister has echoed The Sun newspaper’s call that this is “a time for cheers and not boos”. Labour leader Keir Starmer is more direct in his criticism that real fans would not boo their own team.
Perhaps tellingly, both politicians shifted to a stronger public line soon after YouGov published attitudes evidence showing that most fans support the England team taking a knee, by 54 per cent to 39 per cent.
Football fans across Europe tend to support players taking the knee before matches
🇵🇹 Support 79% / Oppose 15%
🇮🇹 73% / 19%
🇪🇸 71% / 22%
🇩🇪 60% / 27%
🏴 54% / 39%
🏴 53% / 37%
🇫🇷 52% / 32%
🏴 49% / 42%
🇳🇱 44% / 45%https://t.co/7wYX60Fcko pic.twitter.com/x3iJxx3sGg— YouGov (@YouGov) June 10, 2021
Ethnic minority supporters were much more strongly in favour – by an eight to one margin – and were also much more likely to think that the symbolic act makes an important difference to anti-racism. Narrower support for taking a knee among white people reflects a big split between generations – with those under 40 strongly in favour, and the over 55s more sceptical. The England squad has an average age of 25, so the players’ stance reflects that of their generation – that taking a knee is a simple gesture against racism.