England followers ‘face being booted out of pubs if World Cup closing goes to penalties’
Analysis by the Night Time Industries Association reveals that around 3,800 boozers could be impacted, which is around one in ten pubs across the UK
Pubs may be forced to turf out England fans before a penalty shootout (Image: Getty Images)
Fears are growing that thousands of pubs may have to boot England fans out of the door before the end of the World Cup final if it goes to penalties.
The government has vowed that all boozers could open as late as 2am for any home nation matches beyond the group stages.
However that only applies to pubs which have an 11pm Sunday licence.
This year’s final kicks off at 8pm UK time on Sunday July 19, meaning those with a licence running to 10.30pm could be in trouble.
Analysis by the Night Time Industries Association and reported by the Sun reveals that around 3,800 boozers could be impacted, which is around one in ten pubs across the UK.
To make matters worse, this year’s final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium is set to be longer than normal, with cooling breaks planned because of the heat and a Super Bowl-style half-time performance from Madonna and Shakira.
It comes as fans are praying England can finally win football’s greatest prize for the first time since 1966.
Thomas Tuchel’s England squad has already touched down stateside, with pictures from their first training session appearing to show the Three Lions lads battling with the heat and humidity.
The Three Lions completed their first training session on American soil after touching down in Florida on Tuesday, with temperatures soaring to a blistering 32C while they warmed up for their opening games.
The squad are currently based at the luxury Belgrove Resort & Spa in Palm Beach, where they will stay before eventually heading to their tournament camp in Kansas City later this month, and England’s stars quickly discovered one of the biggest challenges awaiting them in North America: the sweltering heat and humidity.
Pictures showed players wiping their brows with their bibs, as they underwent drills and routines ahead of their opening games.
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