‘It feels safe’

Lack of boozy culture sees England fans enjoying football

It was 16-year-old Mohamed Suleiman from Bolton who said it best, as he gazed at a vast panorama of England supporters around him in Doha – and saw so many faces looking like his own. “I think English fan culture is changing,” he said. “It’s becoming more diverse. More welcoming. And you can definitely see it in Qatar.”

Mohamed’s father, Abdul, explained that he had always dreamed of taking his son to a World Cup. Now they were here in England shirts for what they called a trip of a lifetime. “Over the weekend, England and Wales fans were fighting in Spain,” added Abdul. “But there are no issues here. Perhaps the lack of alcohol has something to do with it, but it feels safe and welcoming.”

These were not isolated voices. On the metro, Tarique Ghaffur, a former assistant commissioner with the Metropolitan police, stressed how much English fan culture had improved since he used to police the terraces in the 70s. While his son, FG, a prominent YouTuber who has worked with Manchester City, made it clear that he had never faced an issue in the game because of the colour of his skin. “Football is a global sport,” he said. “And a fantastic leveller.”

Of course, many England supporters in Qatar still conform to the traditional stereotype. But it is all a far cry from the last time the national team played in an away tournament at the Nations League in 2019 in Portugal.

It was there that thousands of fans caused general mayhem in Porto and sang songs about Tommy Robinson, the IRA and German bombers.

Two England fans were arrested after being baton-charged by police, they had been hurling bottles at local supporters and officers in a packed fan zone.

So what is going on? Several fans who spoke to the Guardian suggested that because Qatar is a Muslim country, and its harder to get hold of alcohol, they felt safer in travelling out to support England. They knew they would not be drenched by a beer shower, and the risk of antisocial behaviour would be significantly lower.

Several second-generation British Indians and Pakistanis also said they had family in the region, and so felt comfortable coming out. There are also many guest workers, particularly from India, who have adopted England as their favourite national team. And not always for football reasons either. As Nasisasa, from Thailand, said: “I support England because they are a good team … and their players are handsome.”

Another factor, according to the academic Jamie Cleland, is that many younger white England fans have not travelled to Qatar because it is so expensive – which has broadened the fan base. “With the World Cup occurring mid-season, close to Christmas, and in a cost of living crisis, it is no surprise to see so many traditional fans staying behind in the UK,” he said.

Geoff Pearson, also an academic, agreed. “One way to look at a football team’s support is to consider in terms of different subcultures that basically attend matches for different reasons,” he said. “A lot of the work that I’ve done has been about a subculture of English fans I call the ‘carnivore fan’. They essentially travel and their primary focus is around the match, not the match itself.”