Beckham urges England fans to ‘stay safe’

Former captain echoes Campbell’s warning for next month.

LONDON:

David Beckham has called on England supporters to stay safe when they travel to Ukraine to watch the Euro 2012.

Sol Campbell, former England defender, had earlier  warned fans to stay away from the tournament because of concerns over racism and violence.

“Our fans will do what they want,” said Beckham. “They are passionate about watching England play and watching England perform and win. In the years I have played for England and seen them travel, there are no fans that travel like us.”

Previous international tournaments have seen England fans to be both the cause and the target of violence.

“They just need to stay safe,” said Beckham. “It is as simple as that. We have had it in most competitions that I was involved in. There was always talk about our fans and whether they were going to be safe. At the end of the day you are not going to be able to stop fans travelling but everybody has to be sensible.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2012.