England manager Roy Hodgson was tormented by an Australian fan after his team’s early World Cup exit was confirmed.
As Hodgson emerged from a room where he had just watched Costa Rica beat Italy to rubber stamp England’s embarrassing farewell, the supporter, wearing a golden football shirt, shouted across the foyer of the England team’s Royal Tulip Hotel.
The unidentified fan teased Hodgson by bellowing: “Roy … I didn’t think you guys would get knocked out before we did!”
Hodgson, however, smiled and even agreed to let the fan take a selfie with him — and didn’t point out that Australia had been eliminated before England’s demise was confirmed.
An observer said: “It was a cringemaking moment and you had to feel sorry for the England manager.
“He had just been with his team and watched England’s last hope vanish. But he won the moment by smiling and being absolutely pleasant with the guy who told him Australia had 25,000 supporters in Brazil and outnumbered the England fans. It was like an Aussie baiting an Englishman over cricket, although this time the joke was on the Aussie as his country were sent packing last Wednesday.”
FA chairman Greg Dyke watched with the England team as Costa Rica beat Italy to make the Premier League stars a World Cup irrelevance.
Dyke, who in December appeared to demonstrate his view of England’s chances by making a throat-slitting gesture when the draw was announced, was the first to appear after the game.
This time he threw his hands up in despair and sighed deeply: “Could have done without that.” Next came Hodgson who, asked how the players were bearing up, responded: “Bit disappointed.”
Southampton defender Luke Shaw, 18, whose mother gave him a hug in the lobby and asked “how are you, darling?”, admitted: “It’s horrible, just horrible, the worst feeling of my life. Everyone’s in bits. We had a day off today and some of the players watched the game in their rooms. But most of us were together.”
England play Costa Rica in their final match tomorrow hoping to avoid a third successive defeat.
Hodgson has been told he will remain as manager through to Euro 2016 and said: “I’m very pleased to have that backing. Scapegoats are always necessary in times of failure and one understands that after being in football for a long time.
“One would like to think that the work that you do is judged over a long period of time. If it’s fortunate the position that I’ve found myself in, then I’ll accept it’s fortunate.”
