England should follow lead of ‘joyous’ and ‘courteous’ Welsh fans says Telegraph newspaper
England should seek to emulate “joyous” and “courteous” Welsh fans in how they have presented their nation at the World Cup, the Telegraph newspaper has said.
The newspaper’s TV editor Chris Bennion said that “Wales fans leave an impression wherever they go” while the England fans’ tendency to boo their own team was noted with disapproval.
“Witness, for instance, the youth choir from the Vale of Clwyd singing Calon Lan on the Doha Metro – a moment so out of step with British football fandom it seems like a hallucination,” the article said.
“This is how to export your culture and values to an international stage, rather than, random example, dressing up as knights of the Crusade in a Muslim country.”
Amazing scenes here on the Doha metro ahead of Wales – Iran pic.twitter.com/CwhNZNzbrw
— Evan Ream (@EvanReam) November 25, 2022
The article set out five things that England could learn from Wales at the World Cup, including enjoying yourself, being good tourists, connecting with your culture, having a good anthem, and ‘find your own Michael Sheen’.
“The Welsh fans – the Red Wall/Y Wal Goch – as they did in Euro 2016, have swept through the tournament as one joyous, bubbling, close-harmony-singing wave of joy, drinking in every moment as they go,” they said.
“Compare Gareth Bale’s ear-to-ear beam at every press conference with Harry Kane’s weight-of-the-world frown. Will Southgate pick Foden? Who cares! Just enjoy being at the greatest football tournament there is.”
The article also notes that the Welsh FA had “played a blinder” by embracing “an outward-looking but passionate nationalism”.
The article added: “The tournament has also been helpful in letting the world know that Wales is not England. Next mission: teach ITV commentators that Wales isn’t actually a principality.”
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Torygraph being complimentary about our nation?
What are they up to? Where is the hidden attack?
Are we supposed to take the patronising “pat on the head” just because it’s not holding a brick THIS time?
Yeah, the only place we’re allowed to challenge England is on the sport pitches. Let’s go back now to be obedient little boot-licking quislings.
Maybe just maybe the Telegraph finally realises that English football fans are so far behind most of the world when it comes to general behaviour. So don’t knock it, it may only be a small step but it shows that even the D.T could move in a better direction if it cleared its head more often.
Look out Nation Cymru….the Telegraph is becoming Indy-Curious!!!!
They aren’t being nice to us really. D T doesn’t understand football and assumes all fans are yobs. So are astonished us Welsh fans are normal nice people. Booing your own team has never made sense to me mind you, I’d never do that, or walk out the stadium while game is still playing.
Dressing up as a crusader in a Muslim country, how thick are you?
Well done syr wynff. ❤️
We are a joyous and musical nation. Congratulations to the fans for representing Wales so well and to our footballers. You take on the world without fear. Well done.
I thought it was quite a decent piece for a change from the Telegraph. It was written by a Welshman and paid tribute to our passionate by well behaved fans. I didn’t read it as patronising as some people seem to have.
That said, the comments section on the Telegraph article is full of the usual asinine comments you’d expect from English football fans.
He may be a Welshman but he is writing in the Torygraph. You lie (double meaning there) with dogs, you’re gonna get fleas
Yes, no need to be lemons about every tiny thing.
And yet the Torygraph ARE.
The Telegraph, like most of the English newspapers has gone off the England football team because of the likes of Rashford being too “woke”. They absolutely hate it; they secretly wish the England players were all like the kind of knuckle-dragging fans who got hooliganism regarded as “the English disease”. How ironic that matches between Cardiff and Swansea are the only fixtures left in football in Wales and England were away fans can’t be trusted to travel independently to matches. Some of these people must literally be right next to each other and singing together at internationals.