The British are coming! England fans have descended on Dallas ahead of Wednesday’s England World Cup opener against Croatia. Almost 15,000 England supporters are expected to have journeyed to the Lone Star State, with fans enjoying all they can of southern America—cattle drives, rodeos, Texas beer, and baseball—according to The Times.
But while England fans are free to sample Texan hospitality, they are still subject to speech restrictions reminiscent of the United Kingdom.
As The Times reports, FIFA, the global governing body that runs the World Cup and sets the stadium rules, has warned rowdy fans not to chant politically charged messages during World Cup games. Doing so would violate FIFA’s World Cup Stadium Code of Conduct, which prohibits fans from bringing in or displaying banners, flags, fliers, apparel, and other paraphernalia that are of a “political, offensive and/or discriminatory nature.” It also bans spectators from cursing or chanting “in a political, offensive and/or discriminatory manner,” or using foul or abusive language. Failure to comply could result in removal from the stadium, the cancellation of tickets, or, in some cases, civil or criminal fines and penalties.
The warning appears to be prompted by fans shouting “Keir Starmer is a wanker,” at England’s warm-up game against Costa Rica in Orlando last week. At least one flag with the same message has also been spotted in Dallas, according to Daily Mail.
This is not the only colorful flag English fans have sported. The Football Association (F.A.), England’s national football governing body, is also reportedly aware of an England flag bearing the message “Keir Starmer is a nonce,” a British slang word meaning pedophile.
But it’s not just banners displaying bad words that are being targeted by FIFA rules. As Daily Mail reports, some fans were unable to secure written permission from FIFA officials to bring in flags that honor and bear the image of fallen British soldiers. The rifles on these flags, fans were told, were in breach of the event’s flag regulations.
While these fun-sponge rules make games less boisterous, FIFA and the stadium operators are well within their rights to set the rules inside their own venues. Still, FIFA’s control only extends so far. The F.A.’s official allocation for England supporters was only 4,022 tickets, meaning most England fans who have travelled to Dallas will be watching from nearby bars, fan zones, or wherever they can find a screen.
FIFA can confiscate a flag at the turnstiles, but it cannot stop thousands of Englishmen in Texas from taking advantage of America’s speech laws—which are especially lenient compared to the U.K.’s—and saying what they think about the prime minister back home. In the land of the free, England fans will undoubtedly jump at every available opportunity to name-call their deeply unpopular leader, all while reveling in the glory of supporting a brilliant team.
