Did you notice that English supporters were unusually quiet during Monday’s (11/6/12) match when they played against France in Donetsk? Of course there were chants and singing, but there was no backing music. That is because the England Supports Band had their instruments confiscated prior to the match.
The England Supports Band was originally formed in Sheffield in the early 1990s when the band played at Sheffield Wednesday matches in the Hillsborough commercial property. The band was spotted at an Arsenal Vs Sheffield Wednesday match by Glenn Hoddle and David Davis (FA Chief Executive) in 1996. They were so impressed by the band’s efforts and how the crowd reacted that they asked if they would become the England band. To this day, the band follows every England game, travelling around the world and playing at different commercial properties. That was until Monday.
Monday’s game against France is the first game that the band has not played for England in 16 years, according to Band founder, John Hemmingham. He said: “The FA had done all of the necessary agreements but it was overturned at the last minute. It was kind of weird, fans were asking where our instruments were.
“We got ready to play half an hour before kick-off and then stewards came up to us and said, ‘no, we’ve made a mistake you have to take the instruments out now, you can’t play’. We had to put our instruments in storage.”
Do you think the band should have been allowed to play in the commercial property in Donetsk, or is it a blessing in disguise that they were banned? Or do you think the stadium had to right to refuse the instruments on their own soil? Share your views on our Facebook page.
