Don’t get us kicked out, pleads Becks
Although the England skipper has now left his international team-mates as they prepare for tonight’s encounter with Serbia and Montenegro, he addressed the nation on their behalf as he faced up to the possibility of being booted out of Europe.
Having been fined £70,000 for the behaviour of England fans during April’s win over Turkey in Sunderland, the Football Association have been left in little doubt by UEFA that any repeat will see them expelled from the competition.
With the riot in Charleroi during the last European Championships still fresh in the mind, UEFA chief executive Gerhard Aigner said his organisation would be forced to act if it appeared as though there would be any repeat in Portugal next summer.
In an address filmed before his current trip to the United States, Beckham added his voice to the debate.
“Ninety percent of the England fans are absolutely amazing, it is the other ten percent who just need to stay in control,” said the Manchester United midfielder, whose future is again uncertain after weekend reports linked him with big-money moves to AC Milan and Barcelona.
“It is getting us into lot of trouble. We have been warned already, and the last thing we want is to face elimination from the competition.
“As players we are working hard to reach the finals of the competition, and hopefully the fans are not going to spoil it.”
English clubs spent five years out of European competition following the Heysel disaster in 1985, when 39 fans lost their lives in the riots which accompanied Liverpool’s European Cup final with Juventus in Brussels.
While club sides generally encounter few problems abroad now, the same cannot be said of the national team, whose matches are constantly surrounded by the threat of violence.
The FA has already declared it will not accept its ticket allocation for the return match with Turkey next October.
It was antipathy towards the Turks which lay behind the racist chanting and pitch invasions during the most recent meeting in Sunderland. Beckham believes it has to stop.
“Racism, violence and jumping on the pitch has to be put out of our game,” he said.
“It is no good for anyone. Children at the game are getting scared and we don’t want families getting hurt.”
Beckham also believes the practice of booing the opposition national anthem should be brought to an end.
“Respect has to be shown to the national anthem. Booing a national anthem is disrespectful and shouldn’t happen. We wouldn’t be happy if it happened to us.
“We want our fans to get behind the team in a nice way. We deserve that.”
Michael Owen has joined forces with Beckham in pleading with the supporters to behave.
Owen admits the England players have to put their own house in order, starting tonight, by curtailing their over-exuberant goal celebrations.
They were cited by UEFA as part of the reason for the fans’ behaviour inside the stadium, as Vassell and Beckham ran to the massed ranks behind the goal after finding the net.
Owen said: “I hate the thought of us qualifying ahead of Turkey and the other teams in our group on merit, and then not getting there because of a stupid silly thing off the pitch.
“If you sit back and think what the fans want, I can’t think of anything better than being a supporter and cheering your nation on in a massive competition like the World Cup or European Championships.
“They are fantastic occasions, they bring the nation together, and the consequences of missing it if people don’t behave are enormous.
“If they think of what the summer would be like with no England in the finals, I think they will think again.”
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