My problem with the Euros

I’m struggling to work up much enthusiasm about England’s progress in the Euros. I know, I know, Tuesday night’s victory was the first time England has beaten Germany in the knockout stage of a tournament in 55 years — and the moment Gareth Southgate, the team manager, finally made amends for missing his penalty in the semi-final against Germany in Euro 96. It’s conceivable we might make it all the way to the final, but I’m more excited about watching QPR play Leyton Orient in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

Why? One reason is that in the past ten years I’ve become a QPR superfan. Being a QPR fan means loathing Chelsea, whom we like to think of as our west London rivals, although that’s a bit like Cliff Richard regarding Elvis Presley as a close competitor. And the England squad has got three Chelsea players in it. When England played Scotland in the group stages of the Euros, I half-wanted Scotland to win because one of their strikers — Lyndon Dykes — plays for QPR.

I also dislike the fact that the England players take the knee before each game. I’m 100 per cent behind the cause of kicking racism out of football — although the only time I’ve ever witnessed it at QPR was when the Chelsea captain called one of our players a ‘black bastard’ — and I think the fact that Raheem Sterling receives racist abuse on Twitter is a disgrace. But couldn’t the squad come up with a way of expressing their support for the cause of anti-racism that doesn’t involve tacitly endorsing the Black Lives Matter organisation? Taking the knee is a gesture that divides football fans, making it harder for us to put our differences aside and get behind the national team.