Thread by @CoppetainPU

Football.

I can take defeat. Boy have I supported defeated teams in my time. I did wonder whether it was a good idea to give penalty-taking to players who had just come on and had hardly touched the ball.

And yet I remind myself:

1/7

I remind myself:

• England were never actually defeated in any match. Only on penalties
• Last night, England didn’t play well for most of the 2nd half. In the semis, Spain lost on penalties to Italy but kept Italy pretty quiet during the match. England couldn’t do that

2/7

I remind myself:

• Italy deserved to win the tournament. They were the best team overall from start to finish, and on balance better last night.
• England were probably second best in the tournament, although they had a poor game against Scotland and faded last night.

3/7

I remind myself:

• Southgate and England have built something solid, with more players coming through. England will continue to do well in tournaments. This was the first time many of us thought England had a serious chance of winning a trophy. They still do.

4/7

But there’s the sour taste of the racists' abuse + the idiotic—in some cases physically violent—behaviour of some “fans”. Why weren’t there more police? Why is it the reflex of English/British culture that events like this must be accompanied by huge amounts of alcohol?

5/7

And yet I remind myself:

• The racists are a minority — certainly those who are overtly racist. They exist in every society. Support for England is multicultural. And this issue is far too complex to describe on Twitter

6/7

I remind myself:

• The violent are a tiny minority (law enforcement should have been ready)
• This team have built something special. We must not let it get spoilt by nastiness among a minority, amplified by social media. Onward to the World Cup.

Now, for pre-season …

7/7