Only in England is similar behaviour seen as negative, shameful even.
When other nations’ supporters wave their flags it is described as exuberant and colourful.
An article in the Telegraph entitled “Supporting England at the World Cup is like voting Ukip”, associates the St George’s cross with “poverty, sink estates, skinheads and bulldogs” and suggests that the very sight of it will transform us into a nation of lager-swilling, xenophobic hooligans at the first light gust of wind. And yet, in some people’s opinion, it is as if the shops are peddling the symbol of apartheid era South Africa to impressionable primary school kids. It is a simple red-centred cross emblazoned on a white background which, it is believed, has stood as the emblem of England since the late 13th century. Many of these items feature the cross of St George at the heart of their design.
My local supermarket already has shelves stacked high with T-shirts, sticker albums, barbecue sets, discount wide-screen TVs and just about every conceivable England-branded product from lunch boxes to duvet covers. You don’t have to be a Premier League season ticket holder to know that the World Cup begins in Brazil in a little over three weeks’ time.
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