With less than a week to go before the FIFA 2022 World Cup officially kicks-off, the England squad’s team photo has been released.
As the England team prepares to travel out to Qatar today, and with world football’s biggest tournament set to begin this Sunday, the official squad photo – which is taken and released before every international football tournament – has been shared with fans on social media.
Once again, the photo of the 26 players and manager Gareth Southgate showed them all decked-out in clothing from the team’s official tailor, M&S.
Or, as one fan chose to more-accurately describe it on Twitter, in their “supermarket garms”.
Unlike in previous years though, this year’s team photo has definitely gone with a more candid approach.
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The official England team photo for EURO 2022 shared last year showed the team dressed head-to-toe in formal suits and ties and resembled more of a school year group photo, whereas this year, you could say it looks more like a group of mates taking a photo before a night out – with most of the players smiling or laughing, and some even looking like they could be mid sentence.
A smiling Southgate can be seen sat in the middle of the group of players, with cheerful captain Harry Kane and veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson on either side.
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A series of equally-candid behind the scenes images from the photoshoot have also been shared.
Behind the scenes of the England squad’s World Cup 2022 official team photo shoot / Credit: England (via Twitter)
Fans have been reacting on social media to the shared photos, and seems like not everyone is impressed with the choice of tailor – yet again.
“Italy dripped out in Armani blazers, meanwhile England dressed in supermarket garms, how do we expect to be taken seriously?” one fan said on Twitter.
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Another even went as far as to saying their outfits “requires a formal apology”.
What are they wearing? This requires a formal apology
Plenty of other fans also pointed out that Leicester City midfielder James Maddison has awkwardly perched himself on the end of the group, and looks like the famous photo of Ashley Cole when he was pictured alongside his new Roma teammates.
Along with the official team pictures, the squad numbers for the tournament have also been revealed – with Southgate having given the numbers one to 12 to the same players who wore them at EURO 2020,
Premier League Darts is returning to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2027
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Premier League Darts is confirmed to be returning to Manchester next year.
Now’s your chance to see the youngest world champion in darts history, AKA Warrington’s very-own Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler, show us how it’s done, as next year’s BetMGM Premier League Darts lineup has just been announced this week – with various dates confirmed across 17 different cities in the UK and Europe.
And Manchester is one of those cities, as the AO Arena has shared that they are set to host an evening next April, and we couldn’t be more excited about it.
This means that we will be lucky enough to witness the biggest names in world darts all under one roof, including headliners Gian van Veen and Luke Humphries, as well as Littler.
Manchester is the only northern city to get the pleasure of hosting the event next year, as Liverpool is also on the lineup, as is Leeds, Sheffield, and Newcastle, while elsewhere in the UK, the stars will travel to Glasgow, Birmingham, London, and several other major locations.
BetMGM Premier League Darts is to be held on Thursday 8 April at the AO Arena in Manchester, and to avoid being disappointed, fans are advised to register for presale ticket access.
Following a successful season of events in 2026, tickets are expected to be like gold-dust, so don’t say you haven’t been warned.
To access the first wave of tickets, fans must become an active PDCTV Annual Member before 23:59pm on Friday 9 October. Alternatively, general sale is on Thursday 22 October 2026, but make sure not to hang about.
Featured Image – Sandro Halank (via Wikimedia Commons)
Sport
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has claimed he wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on fans getting to drink alcohol in football stands.
It’s a ban that’s been in place in the top five tiers of men’s football since 1985, when fears over violence and hooliganism were at their height, but now the Prime Minister has raised the question of whether drinking in football stands – or ‘drinking in sight / view of the pitch’, as it’s known formally – is actually unjust, due to the fact that same rules don’t apply to fans of other sports.
“I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” Andy Burnham has declared this week, grabbing headlines in the process.
He continued: “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different, and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination.
“I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
The Prime Minister’s comments have been met with mixed response.
Andy Burnham wants to scrap the ‘unfair’ ban on drinking alcohol in football stands / Credit: James Kirkup | Julia Nastogadka (via Unsplash)
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA), for example, has very much welcomed the idea, saying that it ‘totally agrees’ the legislation is ‘outdated’ and ‘deserves to be reviewed’.
Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, said in a statement: “The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match – especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league.”
However, on the flip side, the UK Football Policing Unit said it would be ‘incredibly rash’ to change the rules without proper consultation.
“Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said in a statement on the matter.
The Prime Minister did state in his initial proposition though that ‘there are different ways it could be done’, hinting that it could be done ‘on a trial basis’ perhaps.
The English Football League (EFL) added that it would be ‘receptive to discussions around reviewing current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch’.
No formal details on a review have been confirmed as of yet, so fans are encouraged to stay tuned for updates in due course.
Emily Sergeant -
15th November 2022 
