Wembley officials were outraged last night after spectators used their ground to create a noisy atmosphere.
Dennis Prichard, from Sport England, a major stakeholder in the stadium, told the Cutter,
‘I’ve been involved with this wonderful place since it used to be called the Empire Stadium and I’ve never, in all my years, encountered such blatant disregard for peace and quiet as what we witnessed at tonight’s game. Although it’s very easy to solely lay the blame with the Ghanaians – and rest assured, that boisterous rabble shall not be invited back anytime soon – the so-called England supporters were equally as culpable, playing instruments, singing songs, and generally making a racket. We’ve had all manner of complaints from local residents who are simply not used to putting up with such nonsense at a football match here.’
One of the residents in question, Marjorie Hutton, who lives nearby in Brent, had organized a dinner party for friends. She claims that her evening was completely ruined by irregular loud cheers and a cacophony of sounds implying that people were enjoying themselves.
‘I don’t mind when they host one of those modern-day beat combos like Coldplay or Linkin Park’ she told us, as she mournfully tipped uneaten melon-balls into her bin. ‘We are always made aware beforehand that a musical ‘gig’ is being held there and rearrange our diary accordingly. But this was a football match for goodness sake. At Wembley stadium! It is usually a good time to have some pals around for an intimate soiree as, once the national anthems are concluded with, you can virtually hear a pin drop.’
‘But tonight was nothing short of a disgrace. It was like Notting Hill Carnival,’ she added angrily, ‘Although saying that is probably deemed racist these days.’
A guest of Mrs Hutton shows her displeasure
The friendly between England and Ghana had received some degree of criticism beforehand due to it being shoe-horned into an already hectic period of the domestic season and for its general irrelevance.
It was expected to be something of a non-event yet eighty thousand enthusiastic supporters made their voices heard throughout and contributed to a surprisingly enjoyable encounter.
The feel-good mood even appeared to spread from the stands to the England dug-out when Fabio Capello – uncharacteristically laughing and smiling throughout – sent on Matthew Jarvis after the hour mark for ‘shits and giggles’, according to our inside source.
