England Fans Slam Gary Neville With X-Rated Chant Amid 'Angry White Men' Backlash
Several England supporters aimed an X-rated chant at former Three Lions right-back-turned-pundit Gary Neville during the first half of Thomas Tuchel’s side’s World Cup qualifier against Latvia in Riga.
England went into the match knowing a victory would secure their place at next summer’s World Cup.
Around 2,500 fans made the trip to the Baltic state before being housed in the away section of the Daugavas Stadion in Riga, the country’s capital.
The travelling fans made their feelings clear earlier in the first half, first aiming a dig at head coach Tuchel, who called England's support “silent” following his side’s 3-0 friendly win against Wales at Wembley last week.
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“The stadium was silent,” Tuchel said after the Wales match.
“We didn't get any energy back from the stands. We did everything to win.
"Yes, [we expected more from the fans]. What more can you give in 20 minutes? We didn't let them escape. If you hear just Wales fans for half an hour, it's sad because the team deserved more support today."
On Tuesday, a number of England fans hit back with chants of "Thomas Tuchel we'll sing when we want!", "Are we loud enough for you?" and “Our support is f*****g s***!".
Of course, the chants were presumably in jest and not malicious.
However, the Three Lions faithful also sang an X-rated chant about former England and Manchester United right-back Neville following his rant about “angry middle-aged white men.”
“Gary Neville, what a w*****…” sang some members of the away section.
Last week, when speaking on LinkedIn, the former United captain said: "The division that's being created is absolutely disgusting and it's mainly created by angry, middle-aged white men who know exactly what they're doing."
He then went on to reveal he had taken down a Union Jack flag that had been raised at one of his development sites.
"I've been building in this city for 15-20 years, and nobody's put a flag up, so why do you need to put one up now? Quite clearly, it's sending a message to everybody that there's something you don't like," he added.
"The Union Jack flag being used in a negative fashion is not right."
The Union Jack is the national flag of the United Kingdom – England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales – and is often used during times of national celebration or when a sportsperson is representing the aforementioned countries.
In recent months, there have been many St George’s and Union Jack flags put up in UK towns, cities and villages, with many questioning why.
One group responsible for the increase told BBC News that they are motivated by pride and patriotism, while others have claimed that it is provocative at a time of tensions with regards to immigration.
Topics: Gary Neville, Thomas Tuchel
Luke Davies