Fan of the Day: Bitterness of the inventors

By Andres Burgo Jul 5, 2006, 16:11 GMT

Gelsenkirchen - 'We invented the game and now we're destroying it,' spits out Charles, a 30-year-old with Spanish parents but who comes across as English as Queen Elizabeth herself. 'I've come all the way from Glasgow to watch this joke. It's always the same. I'll never see England crowned world champions.

'It was our best set of players in 30 years but I've got to admit they're all overrated. We knew that about Beckham but not Lampard and Gerrard and there's obviously nothing inside Rooney's head. The best thing about the World Cup is that Eriksson is leaving.'

England had the largest group of visiting fans for last Saturday's quarter-final against Portugal but, for Charles, the team didn't deserve them.

'England should be at all the World Cups if only because of their supporters. You'll Never Walk Alone, God Save the Queen, singing them five times during a match is not enough to make this lot play.'

Midnight in Gelsenkirchen, last stop for the English, Charles considers why the St George flag is carried by fans more than the Union Jack.

'Because of nationalism, stupid nationalism,' he says as if he had been expecting the question. 'I'm an Englishman living in Scotland so you can guess how well that goes down. Even there, they don't respect the inventors of football.'

And flashing his only smile of a bitter evening, Charles goes on his way.