England’s beaten and beleaguered World Cup players made a sullen and silent dawn return to London yesterday, dodging waiting fans as the storm of criticism at their early exit continued.
Former captain David Beckham, ruled out of the tournament in South Africa by injury, led the squad off the plane after they arrived at London’s Heathrow airport.
England were sent packing on Sunday when Germany trounced them 4-1 in Bloemfontein, their worst World Cup finals defeat.
There were few smiles as players, who had been among the tournament favorites but went out in the second round, were escorted to a private terminal away from the waiting media and without having to face any returning fans.
Few will have wanted to read yesterday’s headlines, with the Sun newspaper making its feelings clear about the nation’s “football flops” with a mock weather forecast on the front page after a weekend heatwave in Britain.
“Sunny outlook in many areas but depression over Heathrow as shower drifts in from South Africa,” it declared.
England manager Fabio Capello is waiting to hear from the Football Association (FA) whether he can keep his job.
The Italian says he wants to stay on but must wait two weeks while officials decide if he can complete his contract, which runs until 2012.
Under Capello’s original contract, the FA would have been able to end their relationship with him after the tournament without having to pay him substantial compensation.
The Italian also had an option to walk away but the break clause was removed just before the World Cup against a background of interest from Inter in securing the coach’s services.
If the FA do decide to dispense with Capello’s services it could cost them £12 million (US$18 million).
Capello, England manager since January 2008, remained tight-lipped as he arrived at his London home where he found television crews waiting for him, having told reporters in South Africa he would make a decision about his future after speaking with Club England chairman Dave Richards.
“I have time to decide, I have to speak with the chairman,” Capello said.
England, who have not won the World Cup since lifting the trophy for the only time in their history on home soil in 1966, were widely expected to reach the quarter-finals at the very least.
But they failed to top a group labeled ‘EASY’ (England, Algeria, Slovenia and Yanks — the US) by the Sun.
England could only draw with the US and were held to a goalless stalemate by Algeria before scraping a 1-0 win against the Slovenians.
That meant a last 16 clash against the Germans, who have repeatedly ended England’s hopes at major tournaments since a team captained by Bobby Moore beat the then-West Germany in the 1966 final.
That match saw Geoff Hurst score a hat-trick but controversy surrounded the striker’s second goal, a shot that hit the underside of the bar and was eventually ruled to have crossed the line despite German protests.
Many German fans felt a sense of “payback” when, with England trailing 2-1 in Bloemfontein on Sunday, Frank Lampard had a goal disallowed after his shot hit the underside of the bar, although replays showed the ball had crossed the line by a couple of feet.
The error was so glaring, it forced FIFA president Sepp Blatter to soften his previously hardline opposition to the use of goal-line technology, with the head of soccer’s world governing body saying the issue would be discussed at a meeting next month.
Meanwhile, England fans sought solace in black humor. Among the jokes doing the rounds on e-mail were: “What’s the difference between Cinderella and the England football team? Cinderella wanted to get to the ball” and “I can’t believe we only managed a draw against a team we should have easily beaten ... I’m ashamed to call myself Algerian.”
By the time Cameron Menzies finally left the arena on Monday, the blood gushing from the gash on his right hand had trickled down his wrist, part of his forearm and — somehow — up to his face. Smeared in crimson and regret, and already mouthing sheepish apologies to the crowd, he disappeared down the steps, pursued by a stern-looking Matt Porter, the chief executive of Professional Darts Corp (PDC). The physical scars from Menzies’ encounter with the Alexandra Palace drinks table after his 3-2 defeat against Charlie Manby at the Darts World Championship would be gone within a few weeks.
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