Let’s bring it back home, Harry! 35million are set to watch momentous Euros final

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Gareth Southgate has urged the nation to ‘stop looking at the negatives of our own country’ because ‘England has so much to be proud of’ ahead of the Euro 2020 final tomorrow night.

As many as 35million people are set to cheer on the Three Lions against Italy in the final of Euro 2020 in the fervent hope that Harry Kane will follow in the golden footsteps of Bobby Moore and lead England to glory.

And almost 70,000 will turn Wembley into a cauldron of noise for the epic clash, which kicks off at 8pm.

Last night, Southgate spoke out about the huge wave of patriotic support for the Three Lions throughout the tournament. 

The England manager said: ‘We have so many things here that we should be proud of that we probably underestimate that.

‘We are always looking at the negatives of our own country and yet we have got so much to be proud of and so much talent coming through in all industries really.’

He added: ‘For an island our size we’ve got an incredible influence on the world and we’ve got to keep that in a positive way. There are historic things that we should be proud of. We’ve had unbelievable inventions in this country.’

In other developments: 

• Boris Johnson will announce a special one-off Bank Holiday – likely to be in August – on Monday if England win tomorrow;
• Euros fever has delivered a £3.4billion spending spree on partying, drinking, souvenir merchandise and supersize TVs, analysts said;
• Schools across England announced they will allow pupils a lie-in on Monday following the final;
• The NHS is braced for a surge in heart attacks tomorrow as the stress of watching football takes its toll on the nation’s health;
• EU chief Ursula von der Leyen – who threatened a vaccine war with the UK earlier this year – announced she will be supporting Italy;
• Ministers have been told to stop using the phrase ‘It’s coming home’ – a reference to the England football anthem Three Lions – because it annoys other countries.

Southgate acknowledged that Britain’s history likely contributed to the support from the 40,000 fans inside Wembley when England  beat Germany last week.

He said: ‘People have tried to invade us and we’ve had the courage to hold that back. 

‘You can’t hide that some of the energy in the stadium against Germany was because of that. I never mentioned that to the players, but I know that´s part of what that story was.’

Last night, Kane, 27, said he felt an extra surge of ‘motivation and confidence’ after being compared to Moore. 

The two England captains were born just eight miles away from each other in east London – albeit some 52 years apart.

In a rallying cry to his teammates, Kane said: ‘These are the opportunities you have to grab with both hands.’ 

Sir Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick in that 1966 World Cup final to beat West Germany 4-2, lent his support to the players yesterday.

The 79-year-old told the Daily Mail: ‘This isn’t a football match, it’s a national event. Millions of people who don’t normally watch football will all be united, cheering England on.

‘We’re very fortunate as a country to have this huge boost to the spirits during the pandemic and if you are going to pick a time to do well, now’s that time.’

He added: ‘Everything about this talented young England squad reminds me of that hard-nosed bunch of professionals we were back in 1966. I see that same camaraderie and determination.’

Villages, towns and cities across England have been bedecked with St George’s flags as the fervour grips the nation.  

Tomorrow’s final could be the most watched event in UK broadcast history, media analyst Claire Enders predicted.

The biggest UK audience ever recorded is still the 1966 World Cup final, which is estimated to have been seen live by 32.3 million across the BBC and ITV. Both broadcasters will also share coverage of the Euro 2020 final.

A triumph against the impressive Italians would be a welcome tonic after the pain of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gareth Southgate’s men will be urged on by Prince William, the president of the Football Association, who has been in the royal box for England’s two previous games at Wembley.

The prince tweeted: ‘The whole country will be behind you on Sunday.’ During a visit to a pub in Wales yesterday, Prince Charles said he would be watching the final at home.

He told the Ponthir House Inn in Newport: ‘It would be marvellous if they won.’ Admitting the tension of the games was getting to him, the Prince of Wales added: ‘Watching the football, it’s rather too much for the nerves.’

Fans continued their desperate hunt for tickets yesterday, as some were sold by touts for an astonishing £54,000 each.

Others paid upwards of £50 each to watch the game at pubs or fan zones – most of which appeared to be booked out last night. Millions of other are planning parties at home. Southgate said: ‘We’re a special country, we are historically an incredible country and I know I couldn’t be prouder to be an Englishman… to bring happiness at this time where it’s been so difficult for this period is a very special feeling.’

Meanwhile, tomorrow’s Wimbledon men’s final will feature an Italian for the first time as Matteo Berrettini takes on the world No 1, Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. 

The nation is gearing up for Sunday night’s final – with several shops shutting early so employees can watch the game.

Tesco and Co-op will shut shops early on Sunday to let staff watch the Euro 2020 final while Iceland and Lidl have said they will open later on Monday.

Several stores across the country will adjust their opening times to give workers the opportunity to watch the final clash, Sky reports.

Tesco Express will close all 1,600 stores at 7.45pm, as opposed to the usual midnight closing hours, as will 2,034 Co-op stores. Co-op 24-hour petrol stations will close between 7.45pm and 11pm for the game.

In addition, Lidl revealed it will open its stores an hour later on Monday if England are successful on Sunday night.

 

Whether England win or lose in the final, supermarket Iceland has announced delays to opening hours, home deliveries, and meetings on Monday.

There will be no home deliveries on Sunday after 7pm, allowing the Iceland delivery drivers time to get home in time for the big match and store managers have also been encouraged to open later, allowing their teams time to finish their celebrations before heading in on Monday morning. 

All non-essential meetings at the company’s head office on Monday morning have been rescheduled and teams based in the Deeside HQ will be allowed a lie-in. 

It comes as No10 today hinted at a Bank Holiday to celebrate if England win their titanic Euros final – with Keir Starmer also backing the plan.  

The PM’s spokesman refused to jinx the showdown with Italy by announcing how the country would celebrate, but made clear the issue is being considered. The extra day off could happen later in July or August. 

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has been riding the wave of football fever engulfing the nation by decking out Downing Street in the flag of St George.

Economists expect a spending boom if England can go all the way in a major tournament for the first time since 1966, with Tories hoping they can benefit from a political bounce due to the euphoria.

England mad bosses across the country have promised staff ‘Hangover Monday’ off whatever the result for Gareth Southgate’s team.

Growing numbers of schools including in London, Leeds, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, County Durham, West Midlands, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Hertfordshire, Herefordshire, and Berkshire have said children don’t have to arrive until 10.30am so they can stay up late to watch Sunday’s ‘cultural event’.    

Rossmere Primary School in Hartlepool has told parents and carers the clash against history is ‘a learning opportunity’ for the children, saying: ‘We would rather have children rested and in school ready to learn rather than absent all day or grumpy’.

The headteacher of Salcombe Primary School, Andy Pugsley, has told parents in the wealthy coastal town: School will start at 8:40am but children arriving up to 10:30 won’t be marked as late, and they won’t miss any lessons.’

A petition calling for a Bank Holiday on Monday should England win has passed 300,000 signatures. 

Lee Jones set up a petition on the Parliament website on Thursday, saying it would be ‘beneficial and sensible’ to give the country the day off. Sir Keir backed the campaign today.

The Prime Minister believes it would be ‘tempting fate’ to announce one in advance of the most significant football match since 1966. While any victory parade would be delayed until after July 19. 

But hinting he is edging towards the move if England win, a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘We don’t want to pre-empt the result and tempt fate, but we would obviously set out any future plans if necessary in due course.’ 

Many businesses are planning to give staff time off on the day – or let them come in late – after millions turned up to work hungover and tired on Thursday – or didn’t come in at all having stayed in bed.