Doha. In 2016, a clip was leaked of Gareth Bale and the rest of Wales celebrating England’s exit from the European Championship.
Something Luke Shaw believes the England team would never do.
– We are more respectful than that, he says sadly before meeting with the neighboring country.
The entire packed press room exploded with laughter. A foreign journalist had just asked Gareth Southgate to describe the rivalry between England and Wales.
The Confederate commander thought for a few seconds before pointing to two invisible dots in front of him.
– Yes, we are here and they are here, he says, followed by bursts of laughter from the journalists.
The relationship between states is, of course, more complex than that. And is Wales even a country? Since the Welsh have their own language, national anthem and partial self-government, it would be wrong to say otherwise. In late December 2011 this also became official on paper.
“Feelings that not everyone shares…”
They have one thing in common with Britons living in Scotland and Northern Ireland: Big Brother’s disdain for England.
It’s a great sporting rivalry, not more than that, says Southgate and adds:
Perhaps not everyone shares this sentiment. But I live in Yorkshire (North of England) and feel the same way about the rest of the country.
There were times when jealousy really shined through. Like at Euro 2016 when Welsh players – including Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey – celebrated England’s humiliating exit from Iceland.
Something Luke Shaw thought was tasteless.
– We’re “more respectful – doing things the right way”, Shaw answers when asked if England could celebrate in a similar way.
Gareth wants us to lead by example and we are all behind that. If that motivates us more? Yes, I might say that.
The left-back adds that the video “wasn’t nice”.
– But I will not dwell on it too much. I want to focus on what we need to do on the field. We can say things in interviews, Shaw says, but I’d rather let the game on the field do the talking.
“I’m not the one who leaked”
The person who filmed the clip in 2016 is Johnny Williams. However, the midfielder believes he only posted the video in the team’s shared Whatsapp group.
– Then someone leaked it but national team captain Chris Coleman couldn’t care less so it was quiet, Williams explains according to The Mirror.
– A lot happened in that group and there are still many who don’t play anymore. which I did not know about. Then during the summer when people were on vacation it leaked. We have increased security since then. We never found out who it was but I take the blame anyway.
Johnny Williams believes Wales’ chances of beating England are certainly there despite the shaky tournament so far.
There is no reason not to believe in ourselves. We must, as a nation, say the Welshman and conclude:
– If you don’t believe in yourself, you don’t even have to go out into the field.
England currently lead the group with four points, Iran with three points, the United States with two points and Wales with one point.