It Might Actually Be Coming Home! (It’s a little bittersweet for me.)

So England could win the Euro’s! It’s a very surreal feeling. It’s a feeling that still hasn’t sunk in yet (… and probably won’t until about 6pm when the coverage starts to build). Like all England fans, I’ve been through my fair of share heartache watching our Three Lions.

My very first football memory is of France ’98. I was just 6 years old that year when Michael Owen decided to go on a mazy run and slot the ball top bins. Not long after, David Beckham got the red card… and we all know how the rest goes. (If you don’t know, we lost on penalties and young Ken is a crying Ken.) I’m pretty sure I didn’t really understand why I was crying, what was really going on or what that game truly meant to the nation and the fans. But crying then seemed the normal reaction when you had just seen your country go out of a tournament. 

 Japan and South Korea. World Cup 2002. I was 8. I had just started to play and understand football. I was now a fully-fledged England fan. It was England vs Brazil. I remember watching it in school before class started. An outrageous Ronaldinho free kick left David Seamen looking silly and England packed their bags to go home. Once again, more tears ensue for a young Ken. Euro 2004. Another tournament exit. More tears. The 2006 World Cup and the Ronaldo wink sent England packing again in another penalty shoot out defeat. Needless to say, more tears and heartbreak. You’d think I’d have learnt my lesson and stop expecting England to win… but who in their right mind wouldn’t support the country they grew up in?

I was an avid England fan until about 2012. Until then, I always wanted the team to do well. I had that patriotic feeling that came around each time a major event came on. That kind of patriotism that has you watching the shooting during the Olympics. Even though you have no clue what is going on, you still just want the person representing your country to do well. However, around 2012, things started changing for me. It became more and more difficult to support the England football team. I’ve always wanted the players to do well because they are the ones who are truly putting in the graft and dedication as well as dealing with the pressure, however… feeling proud of England was and is now very conflicting for me. Simply put, it’s hard to love a country that does not love you.

I started to notice a very distinct pattern with the British media and fans. This would not come as a surprise to many of you but the black players within the England always seemed to get treated and portrayed differently. This has been going on long before Sterling… but we will come on to that. Ashley Cole - easily one of England’s Greatest left backs (if not the greatest left back) - does not get the same credit and respect as his white counter parts. Ashley Cole won 107 caps for England becoming the most capped full back in England’s history. There are droves of quotes from former players who played with Ashley Cole stating he was the most consistent player of England’s “Golden Generation”. However, the only mention of Ashley Cole in the media was with regards to his off-field antics. Granted he made mistakes but it’s no different to England Captain John Terry, Wayne Rooney or David Beckham. These players, however, are still loved and adored by the English public.

Fast forward to 2021 and things haven’t changed much. Different players, same racist behaviour from the media and fans. Pretty much since he broke onto the scene, Raheem Sterling has been on the receiving end of the media’s abuse. Despite this, he has gone on to achieve great things on and off the pitch, winning multiple titles at Manchester City and fighting racisms within football and our society. What about Marcus Rashford? The man who campaigned to feed hungry school kids when Boris Johnson and his government were very happy for them to go hungry over the holidays. Despite the actions of both these men, they were and are still subjected to severe racial abuse online.

A recent study found that Marcus Rashford was the second most abused player on Twitter (Utdreport 2021). Rashford also recently highlighted he was racially abused by a teacher. Yes… a teacher! Someone who should be teaching your kids. Sadly, me and many others aren’t surprised by it.

It’s gotten so hard to support my country. I mean, how do you support a country who don’t celebrate people who look like you? It’s gotten to a point where, while I’m glad the England football team are doing well, my first concern is how the black players do because I know if they don’t do well, they will be the first to be abused by the apparent fans and media.  

It’s hard to be proud of your nation when the so-called fans will boo the players taking the knee in a symbolic gesture to continue the fight against racism but were the first celebrating Sterling’s goals in the group stages. It’s hard to be proud of England when fans are booing another country’s national anthem. The hypocrisy goes way beyond the fans which almost makes it laughable.  

Priti Patel (Home Secretary of the United Kingdom) tweeted earlier that the England players should not take the knee and that the fans have the right to boo them. She is also now tweeting that she wants to support the England team. I mean you can’t have it both ways. If it was for Priti Patel and the policy she wants to introduce, 15 of the current England squad wouldn’t be playing for England let alone be let into England. But that’s a separate issue.

I really hope this England team beat Italy and finally bring it home. Firstly, I am too tired of the disappointment (I’m way too old to be crying over football). Secondly, I would love to see these players names cemented in English history. The same way they talk about Bobby More, Geoff Hurst and Gordan Banks they will now have to talk about Raheem Sterling, Kalvin Philips, Marcus Rashford, and Bukayo Saka. Their names etched in England’s history forever.

#ItsComing Home

 Love

Ken