England Fans Respond with Foul-Mouthed Chants at Recent Match

During a World Cup qualifier against Latvia, England supporters directed their frustrations at Gary Neville and Thomas Tuchel through sarcastic and profane chants. Neville was verbally abused by fans, who called him a “w******,” possibly as a response to his recent remarks criticizing “angry, middle-aged white men” who display Union Flags in the streets.

Neville had previously expressed concern over societal divisions, stating, “We’re all being turned on each other,” and criticizing certain groups for fueling these tensions. The fans’ chants reflected their disagreement with his comments.

Thomas Tuchel also became a target after he criticized the England crowd for being “silent” following their 3-0 victory over Wales at Wembley. In Riga, supporters responded early in the match with chants like “Are we loud enough for you?” and “Thomas Tuchel, we’ll sing when we want,” highlighting their displeasure with his remarks.

The protest intensified as fans continued singing even after England’s opening goal by Anthony Gordon, with some shouting, “Our support is f***ing s***.” They then prompted Tuchel to sing a song of his own, which he did not do. The crowd’s discontent was partly triggered by Tuchel’s comments on Wembley’s atmosphere during the recent Wales game, which he deemed lackluster despite England’s comfortable win.

Throughout the match, fans performed Mexican waves, launched paper aeroplanes, and kept up their singing, showing a lively though critical atmosphere. Tuchel publicly criticized the crowd’s energy, noting that the stadium sounded “silent” and that Wales supporters created more noise than the English fans, despite the victory.

He expressed disappointment with the support from England’s home fans, especially during challenging moments, and contrasted the atmosphere unfavorably with the vibrant support he observed in Serbia.