IT’S an old joke but one worth telling: what goes beep, beep; beep, beep; beep, beep? The England World Cup winners’ bus reversing into the garage.
Now it seems as though it might not be a joke after all, because the clamour for the England squad to be honoured with an open-top bus tour of London has been met by
a steely response from manager Gareth Southgate.
Whereas the England team, who will play Belgium today in the third-place play-off, are likely to accept an invitation from Prime Minister Theresa May to a reception at 10 Downing Street – though the Football Association has yet to confirm it – an open-top bus tour is out of the question.
According to sources in Russia, Southgate wants his England squad to stay modest and focused on the future. The manager is also keen to continue the relationship between the England side and its fans and he feels that it is an ongoing process rather than a closed book.
There is also a Trump factor – thousands of police officers would be needed for such a bus tour after they have just completed a weekend tour of duty caused by the visit of the American president.
An FA spokesman said last night: “There is no planned celebration at this point. We are not actively promoting the date, the time or even the airport they will return to.”
Our guess? It’s not Glasgow.
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