Gareth Southgate insists It’s Coming Home is England’s ‘unique humour’ and is NOT arrogant after chant criticism
GARETH Southgate has insisted the “It’s Coming Home” chant is a product of England’s “unique” sense of humour - and is NOT arrogant.
The gaffer hit back after foreign media accused Three Lions fans of overconfidence ahead of tomorrow’s final against Italy at Wembley.
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It's coming home are the opening words and chorus to Three Lions, written by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds for Euro '96 in England.
In a press conference this evening, Southgate jumped to England fans’ defence - pointing out that Brits had a self-deprecating sense of humour and were well aware of their team’s past failures.
Southgate, who missed a crucial penalty in the Euro 96 semi-final against Germany, said for a long time he could not listen to the song - as it was too painful.
He said: "I didn't want to listen to it for 15 years as it was too painful. You have to know the English to understand our humour.
"It's certainly not arrogance. The lyrics are making fun of ourselves really. It has always appeared at the tournaments.
"The atmosphere in the ground has been great."
The lyrics are making fun of ourselves really. It has always appeared at the tournaments
Gareth Southgate
And in a cheeky nod to the chant, Southgate told reporters he wants to "bring the trophy home".
He added: "We're in a final and we're here to win.
"Now we want to go and bring the trophy home."
It follows reports that ministers have been told to stop saying "It's Coming Home" because the England song "does not go down well overseas”.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport officials warned the song lyric could scupper the UK and Ireland bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
And in a briefing note to bosses, ministers were urged not to use the phrase with the media - as England gets ready to play Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday.
"I know we're swimming against the tide, but we know this does not go down well overseas – and strategically we need to do all we can to make ourselves welcoming to the football authorities when the UK and Ireland is scoping out a bid for 2030."
The song has become integral to English football with Boris Johnson even urging the nation to "bring it home" after England's nail-biting semi-final win against Denmark on Wednesday.
But many have been quick to misinterpret the tune, with Baddiel forced to defend the hit this week.
Responding to one US writer, who said the song was a 'Brexit psychodrama’, the comedian wrote: "It’s about how we mainly lose but still irrationally believe that this time, hope might triumph over experience.
"It’s about yearning and magical thinking. It’s about the condition of being a football fan.
"Admittedly people have taken Football's Coming Home to mean all sorts of b******s."
One Twitter user replied: "Some people will read anything into things, won't they?!
"It's a love song about the England team and being a football fan in general."
Another said: "It’s the optimism of being a fan of either a club or a nation that never wins b*gger all.
"You still turn up every week thinking that you’ll win."
Fans have been chanting the song all week, with the lyrics ringing out across the country after England beat Denmark 2-1 on Wednesday.
One megafan even took to the skies to scrawl the iconic message on flight radar, plugging in the coordinates on his GPS ahead of the final on Sunday.
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Pilot Ben Davis created the masterpiece which shows up on FlightRadar24 in an hour-and-a-half after taking off from Finmere airfield in Oxfordshire on Thursday evening.
Ben said: “It was just to express my support for the country. I thought rather than watching the telly, I said to the wife I had an idea and I was off out."