England’s footballers have reached a World Cup semi-final for only the third time in history – so should the public line the streets to welcome them home next week?
Saturday’s 2-0 win over Sweden set up a semi-final with Croatia in Moscow on Wednesday evening and they will play again against France or Belgium next weekend either in Sunday’s final or in Saturday’s third-place play-off.
There have been scenes of celebration across England following the success of Gareth Southgate’s players, but should a formal parade and reception be held when they return, even if they do not lift the trophy?
That question was a hot topic of debate on the latest episode of the World Cup Supplement Podcast, as two of the nation’s top football journalists had very different views.
Read their thoughts on the issue and vote in our poll below…
2:31 Here are the reactions of England fans around the country to Harry Maguire and Dele Alli's goals against Sweden
YES – Matt Law (Daily Telegraph)
If there is an appetite for it back home – which quite frankly from the pictures I’m seeing there probably is – then why not? It doesn’t have to be a parade where it’s nice to have a trophy, you could have some sort of civic reception where they can stand up and people can clap them and cheer them.
Not a lot of fans can get out here. The England fans that have been out here have been brilliant, but a lot haven’t travelled and you haven’t got thousands of fans being able to show their appreciation for these players while it’s going on.
We are around them, but the fans aren’t. When we get home there will be a lot of fans who want to be able to clap and cheer them because they haven’t been able to do it out here. They are well within their rights to do so and they should be given the opportunity.
NO – Charlie Wyett (The Sun)
I absolutely do not think they should have a parade. I don’t think Gareth Southgate would want that – we don’t know for sure and maybe we will ask him at some stage.
Germany wouldn’t do it. You should only have a victory parade if you win. In any sport you should only parade if you win. The time for them to receive acclaim as part of an England team is our next games at Wembley and Leicester.
I would be so against a victory parade. It would send out the wrong message to all players – for the younger players and the England youth groups. You need to win and you want to win.
I didn’t like it when some fans and pundits – and there were people in our newspaper offices as well – were ridiculing our England players when they said they were going out here to win. People were laughing and I thought that was really sad. Good on the players for having that mentality.
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