‘Your defence is terrified’: how Freed from Desire became a football anthem

Gala’s 1996 song has gone from forgotten rave classic to football terrace anthem – and was even used to protest against Rishi Sunak. The song’s creator and fans explain an unlikely revival

Terrified: Northern Ireland's Will Grigg

GALA'S jubilant pop-dance banger 'Freed from Desire' was a massive hit across Europe in the peak stadium-rave summer of 1996. But the story of the track was only just beginning. More than a decade later, it would become one of those rare pop songs to transcend its origins. 

Beginning a new life at Wigan Athletic football club in 2016 and going international via its adoption by Northern Ireland fans at the European Championships that year, it would become ubiquitous: an anthem for football fans the world over. Tune into any game of Euro 2024 and you’re likely to hear the song’s inescapably catchy “Na na na na na … ” chorus, accompanied by crowds gleefully leaping up and down.