Simone Reddington

This time last week, the whole country was in a euphoric mood as the England men’s football team won their semi-final match of the UEFA European Football Championship and reached the final of an international tournament for the first time in 55 years. The streets were lined with red and white flags, Baddiel and Skinner’s 1996 anthem was playing everywhere and there was even talk of a national bank holiday if Gareth Southgate’s team went all the way and won the final at Wembley stadium on Sunday evening. I’m not normally a football fan, but even I got excited as it truly felt like the nation’s most popular sport was ‘coming home.’ It was refreshing to have more positive headlines on the news and it did briefly feel that the whole country was coming together.

However, the euphoria was completely extinguished by Monday as the next day’s headlines were not about the match but the shameful behaviour of the England fans. Millions of people from across the continent tuned in to watch the match and, as these hooligans put the country to shame, I honestly felt ashamed to be English. No amount of passion and enthusiasm for your team to win (or alcohol and drugs) excuses the way that a lot of the fans behaved as they assaulted people in the stadium, littered the streets of London and booed the national anthem of the other team. Even worse was the vile racist abuse of the three black England players who narrowly missed the penalties. It left a very nasty aftertaste to the tournament and, while I disagree with politicising football (the Football Association is a privatised company so the staff do not represent the views of the government), I understand why so many people from across the tournament were cheering for Italy to defeat us. The attitudes of these troll and thugs reinforced every negative view of English people.

This got me thinking about patriotism and English identity. Growing up, I was always proud to be British. Despite our awful weather, I felt very lucky to born into a first -world country with good human right and a fantastic National Health Service. I found learning about British history at school fascinating and I appreciated the cultural impact that English writers, musicians and actors across the world. I remember watching the London 2012 Olympics, and my 14 year old self found Danny Boyle’s opening and closing ceremonies so powerful. I was very proud to be from the same country as people who achieved historic feats such William Shakespeare, the Beatles and Stephen Hawking.

9 years later, my feelings have changed. The main reason is that Brexit has divided this country and right-wing politicians have used patriotism to stir up hatred towards immigrants and marginalised groups. As I have matured into an adult and became more knowledgeable about history and politics, I have became more aware of the dark reality of Britain’s empire and colonialism. The union jack and the St George’s flags that are waved at national events with pride are also associated with oppression for many other people in Britain and across the world. When somebody says that they are “proud to be English,” they are often assumed to hold racist, out of date attitudes. Although this is a stereotype, the assumption does turn out to be true. I personally blame this on the way history has traditionally taught in schools, and the right-wing media’s demonization of modern ideologies as society has become more accepting of other cultures since the end of the Second Wold War.

Despite the fans displaying the worst of Englishness, the England football did restore some national pride by presenting a much better side of England to the rest of Europe. I thought it was brilliant to see a team made of black and white players unite and take the knee in support of racial equality. This was met by booing from some fans and criticism from MPs but they continued to do so at every match, putting a middle finger to the racism that plagues both their sport and country. When the captain Harry Kane wore a rainbow armband at the match against Germany (whose captain also did the same), it was a small but important gesture to help make football a more inclusive space for queer people. Off the pitch the players have used their platform for important causes, from Marcus Rashford campaigning for free school meals during the school holidays for working-class children to Jordan Henderson urging other Premier League players to donate money to the NHS. The fact that they did all this while being the most successful England squad since the 1966 World Cup victory proves that you can still be successful and be compassionate towards wider society.

Despite the national team’s success on and off the pitch, this weekend has shown a very ugly painting of England. There are huge social issues in England, and it is fair to say we definitely have a problem with racism and football-related violence. The flag waving patriots need to accept that the country they love is far from perfect, and denying this is only going to make the issues worse. However, despite being a home to people such as Piers Morgan and Lawrence Fox, England is also home to many more kind and decent people of all race, gender and sexual identity. Recognising and celebrating the diversity in this country is the only chance we have in restoring pride into the English identity.