England fans bemoan refereeing decisions as Three Lions on brink of exit
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England fans have taken to social media to heavily criticise refereeing decisions as France put the Three Lions on the brink of a World Cup exit.
A long-range strike from French midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was the difference between the two sides at half-time, as fan parks around the nation fell silent.
The Brazilian referee, Wilton Sampaio, was subjected to a barrage of negative comments from English supporters, following two contentious decisions in the first half.
The official also received criticism from Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker, who took to Twitter to say: “One of these days, just once, we might get a decision in our favour.”
Mr Sampaio’s Wikipedia page was also edited, with the referee listed as having “lost his guide dog” and a “Brazilian cheat”.
As the goal went in, England fans at the Boxpark fan zone in Croydon put their hands on their heads and threw Santa hats to the floor as they watched the French celebrations in silence.
There were nerves amongst both sets of supporters ahead of kick-off, knowing that a win would set up a semi-final tie with Morocco after their 1-0 win over Portugal earlier on Saturday.
There was laughter and a number of chants were exchanged in Al-Khor before the game as they made their way into the Al Bayt Stadium.
Shouts of “allez Les Bleus” from French fans, alongside England chants, could be heard as the atmosphere began to build outside the ground.
Police forces across England urged fans to “drink responsibly” ahead of the game, while the RAC suggested supporters should leave their cars at home and go on foot to watch the match due to the “big freeze” across the country.
The British Beer and Pub Association predicted six million more pints could be sold during the quarter-final, providing a £26 million boost to the industry.
Ahead of kick-off, Rishi Sunak shared a joke with French President Emmanuel Macron, with both agreeing to “wish luck” to the nation that progresses to the semi-final.
After being asked by Mr Macron if he would wish the French well should they win, the Prime Minister replied: “Hopefully I won’t have to. But you’ve got a deal.
“Look forward to you getting behind the Three Lions in the next round.”
Extra police officers will be deployed in London given large swathes of English and French football fans are expected to flock to the city.
