Tickets to England's semifinal match against Croatia were available online for £650 on Monday.GETTY IMAGES
England football fans could spend as much as £30M ($39.8M) to "try to cheer the team to the World Cup final," according to Matt Law of the London TELEGRAPH. The FA is "expecting an influx of 10,000 England fans into Moscow" for Wednesday's semifinal clash against Croatia. Tickets for the game were still available for around £650 ($862.51) on the internet on Monday, "although that figure will continue to rise as the match approaches." Together with flights and accommodation, some supporters face a bill of about £3,000 ($3,980) to watch England "try to clinch a place in the final." The England fans "who can afford to make the last-minute dash to Moscow are set to find unlikely allies when they arrive in Russia." Many locals were annoyed after Croatia defender Domagoj Vida and Croatia scout Ognjen Vukojevic filmed themselves celebrating and shouting, "Glory to Ukraine" after the team's win over Russia (TELEGRAPH, 7/9).
HOT TICKET: The BBC reported hundreds of World Cup football fans "have raced to Heathrow Airport to check-in for last-minute flights to Russia." British Airways said that 860 passengers booked flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg amid a "party atmosphere." The airline "put on bigger planes for the two routes in order to cope with the demand for seats." British Airways said that "searches for flights to Russia went up by 2000%" after England beat Sweden in the quarterfinals (BBC, 7/10). REUTERS' Will Russell reported about a dozen England fans passing through Heathrow "wore dark blue waistcoats over their T-shirts" in tribute to England Manager Gareth Southgate, "who has taken to wearing a waistcoat on the touch-line along with suit trousers" and a dress shirt and tie. Lee Walkup, a 50-year-old fan, said, "I've got a funny feeling that the momentum is so good, and, you know, especially now that we’re all going to turn up with special Gareth waistcoats, and that can only help can’t it?" (REUTERS, 7/10).
THE WELCOME MAT: REUTERS reported Victoria Lopyreva, a "glamorous ambassador" for the World Cup and a former Miss Russia, "urged England fans on Monday to ignore politics and travel to Moscow to support their team" in Wednesday’s semifinal against Croatia. Lopyreva: "Soccer is separate from politics because people who work in politics should concentrate on politics, and people who work in soccer should concentrate on soccer. And now I want to say to English fans, 'Guys, get it together, come to Russia and support your national team because they have gotten into the semifinal'" (REUTERS, 7/9).
UNFINISHED BUSINESS: REUTERS' Simon Evans reported there may be "an air of euphoria back home" but England midfielder Eric Dier "is adamant that for all the progress, success has yet to be achieved" for the Three Lions. Dier: "I don't think we have succeeded yet -- success is hard to define but in my eyes and I think in everyone else's eyes back at the (team) hotel, I think this isn't a success yet" (REUTERS, 7/10).
MAKING THE TRIP: In London, Matt Hughes reported a number of Danny Rose’s family members "will travel to Moscow" for England’s World Cup semifinal after the defender's "fears of them suffering racial abuse lessened during the course of the tournament." Rose revealed on the eve of the World Cup that he "had asked his family to stay away because of concern about the possibility of racism from Russia fans" (LONDON TIMES, 7/10).
ADJUSTED HOURS: The BBC reported supermarkets Aldi and Lidl said that they will close stores early on Sunday if England advances to the World Cup final because "football's coming home." The chains "have promised all staff in stores in England they can go home" at 3pm BST on Sunday "so they can watch the match." Aldi tweeted, "We're pretty sure it's coming home, right?" (BBC, 7/10).
STERN WARNING: REUTERS' James Davey reported U.K. police warned England fans not to repeat the "shocking behaviour" that followed Saturday’s World Cup quarterfinal win over Sweden. A minority of celebrations "caused significant disorder, leading to criminal damage," blocked roads and anti-social behavior, the National Police Chiefs’ Council said in a statement. NPCC Lead for Football Policing Mark Roberts said that "shops were damaged and people abused and assaulted, while other fans climbed on buses and cars, causing damage to the vehicles and in some cases themselves." Roberts: "This is in stark contrast to the (England) fans out in Russia, whose behavior, apart from a couple of minor incidents, has been great" (REUTERS, 7/9).
