England supporters heading to Dallas for Wednesday's World Cup opener against Croatia face having their flags confiscated and risk ejection from the stadium if they sing an X-rated chant aimed at Sir Keir Starmer.
The England Supporters Club (ESC) has been advised by stadium officials that fans will not be allowed to hang flags over the LED advertising boards surrounding the pitch, with only small flags permitted inside the ground, which must be hung on rails behind the goals. The ESC has arranged for several large banners and flags to be displayed behind the goals, but casual supporters attempting to bring a flag are likely to have them confiscated.
“England fans risk flag confiscation and ejection for anti-Starmer chants at the World Cup opener against Croatia.”
Fifa sources said the ban on hanging flags over LED signage was due to “safety and security reasons”. A number of Dutch and Japanese fans had flags confiscated at Dallas Stadium when attending the 2-2 draw on Sunday, but there have been no issues at other grounds.
Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe, who was at the first game in Dallas, complained of a lack of consistency. “You were not really allowed to bring a flag in, or at least to show it, which is inconsistent with most Fifa rules and regulations, but also what was allowed at previous tournaments. Most of the flags were removed by the staff,” he said. “At a lot of the stadiums it hasn’t been a problem, so it’s hard to understand what is the actual policy and what is improvisation by the staff locally.”
The flag issue is not the only potential flashpoint. Large sections of travelling supporters were heard singing “Keir Starmer’s a w****r” during England’s second pre-tournament friendly in Orlando last week, and the chant has already been sung in bars and pubs around Dallas ahead of the Croatia match, according to the Daily Mail. Fans risk being punished under Fifa rules aimed at making matches apolitical, which prohibit banners, flags, apparel or clothing deemed offensive, discriminatory or political. Fifa’s stadium code of conduct also warns fans not to “use offensive language or gestures”.
The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) told BBC Sport that between 12,000 and 15,000 England fans are expected at each group stage game. However, only 4,022 tickets were sold through the official England Supporters’ Travel Club (ESTC), with some appearing on Fifa’s resale site at inflated prices. Thomas Concannon, who leads the Football Supporters’ Association’s England fans’ group, told BBC Sport in April that many were holding on hoping prices would drop. On Tuesday, the cheapest resale ticket in category one remained at around £1,310, while a category two ticket cost £1,254.
England’s World Cup campaign finally gets under way six days after the tournament began, with Thomas Tuchel’s side facing Croatia in Group L at Dallas Stadium. The Three Lions will also face Ghana and Panama in the group stage as they chase a first major trophy since their 1966 World Cup triumph.