England fans break FIFA rules by singing chant during Croatia game
Some England fans faced the chance of punishment after breaking FIFA rules during the Three Lions’ 4-2 win over Croatia.
Thomas Tuchel’s team got off to a great start in Group L with a strong win over the 2018 finalists, Croatia. Captain Harry Kane scored the first goal from a penalty on his second try at 12 minutes, after his first shot was saved by goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. But Livaković had stepped off his goal line early, so Kane got another chance and scored with a powerful shot.
Martin Baturina evened the score at 36 minutes, but Kane quickly responded by heading in a corner from Declan Rice six minutes later. Petar Musa then made it 2-2 just before halftime. After the break, Jude Bellingham put England ahead again at 47 minutes, and substitute Marcus Rashford sealed it with a fourth goal five minutes from the end.
Even with the great game, some England supporters caused trouble by breaking a FIFA rule inside Dallas Stadium. About 15,000 fans traveled to Dallas, but a small group started singing an anti-Keir Starmer chant during the match. Chants like “Keir Starmer is a w*****” were heard, which goes against FIFA’s rules about political messages.
FIFA’s stadium rules don’t allow fans to bring or display anything political, offensive, or discriminatory—like banners, flags, apparel, or flyers. Using abusive or political language or chants is also banned. Fans must get approval for flags larger than 2m x 1.5m before bringing them inside. Some reports say flags honoring war dead might cause problems, although poppies on flags are allowed. Anyone breaking these rules could be removed from the stadium.
An FA spokesperson told The Sun, “We’ve told our fans that FIFA can stop flags with sensitive or political content from entering stadiums. Our team is at the ground to check flags and help avoid problems.”
England will play Ghana on June 23 and finish their group matches against Panama on June 27.
FIFA’s official policy bans any materials or messages that are political, offensive, or discriminatory, including those targeting people or groups based on things like race, religion, gender, political views, or any other status.