Call for fans at home to back England as safety fears put off 1000s from travelling to Russia for the World Cup
Just 32,000 tickets have been snapped up by England fans - way down on previous tournaments
THE Sun today salutes our small army of brave Three Lions fans in Russia — and calls on supporters at home to roar the team to glory.
Just 32,000 World Cup tickets have been bought by England fans — way down on previous tournaments — amid safety fears and political tensions.
But after a low-key build-up, the nation’s interest was finally kickstarted on Thursday night.
A wonder goal from Marcus Rashford and a fine team performance helped England to a 2-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica in Leeds.
As our boys prepared to fly out to their St Petersburg base last night, a buzz of belief was finally building in pubs and sitting rooms.
England captain Harry Kane, 24, led the call to arms with a rousing battle cry. Asked why he was heading for Russia, he said: “To win the World Cup — simple as that.
“We’re all winners in this squad, that’s how we’ve got to where we are. We all want to win trophies. So why not this one?”
Spurs fan Richard Carson, 36, of Teddington, South West London, said: “It’s been the most low-key start to a World Cup ever but fans are finally starting to believe.
“With players like Rashford, Kane and Raheem Sterling we can shock the world and stick it to Vladimir Putin in his own backyard.”
Sales of England merchandise, including shirts, flags and bunting, are also down while pubs fear a plunge in usually buoyant World Cup business.
But Wolves fan Robin Beach, 50, from Dudley, West Midlands, said: “It’s time to start flying the flag back home and give our boys a roar that will reach Russia.
“It’s an open competition and we can go all the way if we start having faith in our players and the team spirit Gareth Southgate is building.”
Fifa revealed yesterday that England fans have bought just 32,362 of 2.4million World Cup tickets sold — fewer than Peru, Colombia and Australia.
About 57,000 were snapped up by England supporters for the 2014 tournament, held thousands of miles further away in Brazil.
It is also down on the 42,000 sold for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa — a country notorious for crime with a high murder rate.
The lacklustre support follows stark warnings from MPs that England fans are at serious risk of homophobic, racist and anti-British attacks in Russia.
Political ties are tense after Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and daughter Yulia, 33, were poisoned in March — with president Putin denying a Kremlin plot.
England fans fear a repeat of bloody clashes with Moscow-based hooligans — later saluted by Russian MPs — at Euro 2016 in France.
Diehard fan Gary Knapper, who went to the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, said supporters did not feel safe heading to Russia.
He added: “Welfare is the main issue. There’s a threat not just from organised Russian hooligan groups targeting the English but the lack of action from the Russian government in protecting fans.”
Gary, 41, from Worthing, West Sussex, said England failing to sell their ticket allocation at a European World Cup was unprecedented. He added: “I went to Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010 and both went brilliantly without trouble.
“South Africa especially was considered a dangerous country but I think hosting the World Cup helped to change its reputation.
“With Russia, it’s unheard of for England not to sell their allocation of tickets for a World Cup in Europe and I think the hosts are the reason for that.”
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The tournament kicks off on Thursday and England play their first group game against Tunisia on June 18 at the Volgograd Arena. Fifa allocates tickets based on demand and Russians have the most with more than 870,000. USA fans, whose team are not even there, are second with 89,000 followed by Brazil (72,000), Colombia (65,000) and Mexico (60,000).
A major UK company that supplies pubs, schools and supporters’ clubs with flags said demand was down.
It told The Sun: “We’ve had plenty of business from other nations but England hasn’t been getting much attention. Normally, in the week before a tournament, it’s much busier.”
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