UK Fans Still Expected at Euro 2008, Just Not Their Teams

There won’t be any teams from the UK at Euro 2008 this summer after England’s abject failure to do anything but lose to Croatia, Scotland’s valiant but doomed effort, Northern Ireland coming close but no cigar and Wales just being Wales. But that doesn’t mean the fans won’t go. The Austrian Tourist Board are still expecting plenty of fans from the UK this summer, as many as 15,000.

I’m sure that Scottish, Welsh and N. Irish fans will be welcomed with open arms. Scottish fans in particular have a great reputation for buying plenty of beer and then being really really friendly to foreigners. But with English fans it’s a little more complicated. They have a (not entirely deserved) reputation for always causing trouble at tournaments that as an England fan myself I’m more than a little ashamed of.

If it’s the usual minority of England fans who go, and they do manage to cause trouble at an event the team isn’t even involved in then that’s a new low for everyone involved. Much much worse than the now mandatory quarter-final exit after losing a penalty shootout. But I’ve got a good feeling about this. Any fans willing to travel to Austria in June will be hopefully be genuine football lovers, just there to soak in a bit of atmosphere, join in the festivities and maybe accept a few offers of commiseration from fans of teams who will actually be taking part.

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