Gareth Southgate says it is an “embarrassment” that England are playing a home game behind closed doors, as he reminded supporters that their behaviour is a representation of their country, warning that nobody wants to go back to the dark days of fences.
The national side are being forced to play Italy in front of empty Molineux stands for the Nations League match on 11 June, as a consequence of the chaos at Wembley for the Euro 2020 final against the same country. Reflecting on whether that match marked the start of a post-pandemic period that has seen a release of certain behaviours, culminating on “criminal acts” on pitches on the last few weeks, Southgate revealed that his staff had been affected by that day “for weeks”.
