GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — England fans threw plastic beer cups in the direction of Gareth Southgate after a 0-0 draw with Slovenia at Euro 2024 on Tuesday.
The England manager and his players went to applaud fans after the final whistle at Cologne Stadium. But plastic cups could be seen thrown onto the field despite England advancing to the round of 16 as winner of Group C.
“I understand it. I’m not going to back away from it. Most important thing here is that the supporters stay with the team,” Southgate said afterward. “I understand the narrative towards me and that’s better than it being towards them (the players). But it is creating an unusual environment to operate in. I’ve not seen any team qualify and receive similar.”
Southgate said Monday that he was oblivious to stinging criticism of his team by former England captain and now BBC presenter Gary Lineker.
But after the draw against Slovenia, he acknowledged unrest from some fans.
“We’ve made England over the last six or seven years fun again. I think it has been enjoyable for the players. We’ve got to be very, very careful that it stays that way,” he said.
England had already been assured of advancing before playing Slovenia, but doing so as Group C winner means it will play one of the qualifying third-placed teams in the round of 16 and is on the opposite side of the draw to Spain, France, Germany and Portugal.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP Euro 2024: https://apnews.com/hub/euro-2024
