England fans out-sing the vuvuzelas

Port Elizabeth,SOUTH AFRICA - England’s victory Wednesday over Slovenia set up what could turn out to be another memorable clash between the two greatest rivals of world football, England and Germany.

But on the terraces of the Port Elizabeth stadium, and the streets of the coastal industrial city, England’s army of travelling fans also notched up a famous victory of their own.

Whether blaring out the national anthem, or bawling out old World War II songs to antagonize their opponents in the next round, the roar of England’s supporters for once drowned out the blasted Vuvuzela cacophony that has been the ever-present soundtrack of this year’s World Cup.

An estimated 25,000 fans packed into the stadium named after Nelson Mandela.

They covered it with flags glorifying their national team and their home towns, and used other flags as capes as they marched to the stadium looking for all the world like an army of footballing crusaders.

After England’s abysmal performance against Algeria these most loyal and long-suffering of supporters had booed their team from the pitch. Their displeasure prompted an angry and scandalous reaction from out-of-sorts striker Wayne Rooney, but it may have also catalyzed the superstar England players to re-examine their approach and commitment to the next game.

Captain Steve Gerrard admitted as much when he said the fans reaction was justified, and had spurred the players to regain the hunger that personifies the English game.

And if the travelling fans had been resentful towards their heroes after the Algeria debacle, they bore no grudges when the team stepped out on to the lumpy playing field of Port Elizabeth.

The roar that greeted the team as it stepped on to the pitch, and the announcement of the line-up drowned out the vuvuzelas. But it was nothing compared to the sound of the English football army belting out God Save the Queen at the top of their voices, as if they wanted to be heard all the way to Buckingham Palace.

Their support was crucial, said midfielder Frank Lampard.

“After all the negative things that have been said in the press, some fans could have been less vocal and less supportive,” he said.

“But they weren’t, the stadium was basically all England today. It was like a home game for us and that really lifted the lads. When they support the team in that way they are the best.”

The singing continued long after the victory had been achieved, in the stadium, the Port Elizabeth streets, and the pubs and bars that had been overrun by the invading English hordes.

It continued incongruously also in a posh hotel ballroom, that had been converted into an ad-hoc football viewing arena, where football fanatics could guzzle down beer and wine, and dine on sushi and rump steak while watching their favourite sport on a giant TV screen.

For the Germany-Ghana game Wednesday evening, the place was packed with well-heeled England fans, delirious with victory and booze, and with a small cadre of German journalists. The England fans cheered Ghana almost as fervently as they had cheered their own team earlier on, and taunted the Germans with songs about the RAF shooting down German bombers in WWII.

The outnumbered Germans mostly ignored the taunts, until their team scored what turned out to be the winner, when they turned back to face their tormentors and defiantly punch the air in victory.

But when the final whistle blew there were handshakes all around and one chant from the sozzled England fans. “Bring on the Germans,” they sang into the night. “Bring on the Germans.”