A few of England supporters are hanging around and celebrating in an area of the concourse beneath the Düsseldorf Arena following the England match. Some are mockingly waving to the fans from Germany and Switzerland and chanting “auf Wiedersehen.” To the tune of Ten Green Bottles—or, if you prefer, Ten German Bombers—others are singing their new slogan, “There’ll be no Musiala in Berlin.” While the majority of the supporters are white, two young, black English fans from east London are situated around 50 meters apart.
One, wearing the new mauve England shirt, exclaims, “What a game, what an incredible atmosphere.” What about the penalties? Simply amazing. Saka rolled it into the corner at the bottom. We were so pleased for him. because of the recent events at the Euros? Yes, and during the previous week. He’s been subjected to a lot of hatred on the internet, so it was fantastic to watch him take it out on his detractors.
It is hard to identify any faces that aren’t white in pictures of England’s support in Germany. However, there are Asian and Black enthusiasts among them. Young individuals of color may occasionally be found with groups of white friends, as well as older groups of people of color and entire families. It demonstrates the eagerness of English supporters from underrepresented ethnic groups to participate in the action and enjoy the lively environment that has been dubbed as the highlight of Euro 2024. However, they don’t always have the same experiences as the bulk of white people.
Fans for Diversity is a campaign organized by Nilesh Chauhan. In addition to hosting watch parties for South Asian England supporters at home, he traveled to the Euros to work with the Football Association, assisting in the planning of a visit for Jewish England supporters to the location of the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He also saw a few games, one of which was England against Serbia. After returning home, like many England supporters, he comments, “I had a really good time.” “It was a positive experience, and I hope to repeat it—possibly for a longer period of time. However, there were a few minor occurrences.
Chauhan describes how, despite the fact that “nothing was said against us at the time,” he was the lone Asian supporter in a pub while England fans were acting inappropriately—”you know, pulling moonies and stuff.” Then there was the incident where an England supporter “just popped out of nowhere” and ordered him not to stand for the Serbian anthem before to the match. Chauhan admits, “I was actually quite worried.” I didn’t really want to have a conflict with him, so I responded, “No, I don’t want to do that.” I was also attempting to ignore him since I thought he could be under the influence of alcohol.
Chauhan said that the man vanished as soon as he arrived, with his seat evidently located elsewhere on the ground. However, this incident mirrored what he calls his “worst ever experience watching England”—a 0-0 stalemate during a friendly match between England and the Netherlands at Villa Park in 2005—during his adolescent years.
Chauhan reminisces, “When I was a young boy and I went with my dad and my brother, there was a chant called: ‘Stand up if you’re English.'” “My dad, my brother, and I got up now, and we were made fun of. They instructed us to take a seat. It was really rather scary. Thus, it was a constant thought in my thoughts this time around. You have to be completely conscious of your surroundings, your actions, and your mannerisms.
I hear five England supporters talking to each other later that evening following the victory against Switzerland. They are all Asian, three of them older than the other and two lot younger, and they are arguing about how racism is still present in the English support today. When one of the younger guys—who is sporting a blue 1990 shirt—says that it doesn’t exist anymore, the older guys just laugh it off. One says, “It’s not visible, but it’s still there.” The younger ones eventually give up and go to bed after a little while.
The trio of elder men hail from the Midlands and have dedicated their life to football, not just as ardent supporters but also as active participants in the sport. They have coached, mentored, chauffeured their children, and even provided funding to local teams to foster the growth of the sport among the South Asian community. They have been friends for fifty years and are now following England for the first time. “I’d only ever go to a tournament when I knew England were already out,” someone said in prior years.
To reiterate once more, they are ardent English supporters who do not feel accepted. They declare, “We just want to be let in; we are England till we die.” “Please come in; we have so much to offer.” Nevertheless, that hasn’t occurred, and instead they make sure to always get tickets in the family stand, avoid wearing an England jersey to games, and have had to send a message home to their loved ones after every game while traveling across Germany to let them know they are safe. “Safety is our top priority,” they declare.
All add, with some interesting anecdotes about golf, that they never get this feeling when they watch England play rugby or cricket.
They admit that the issues only apply to a tiny fraction and that they have had a terrific time on this tour. They counter, “But it only takes one, and you never know when it might be.”
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