to a digital copy of the Free Lions: Issue 147

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ISSUE 147
SLOVAKIA V ENGLAND
20TH JUNE 2016
...the free England fanzine
produced and distributed by
the Football Supporters’
Federation (FSF) as part of
Slovakia v England
Stade Geoffroy Guichard,
Saint-Étienne
Monday, 20th June 2016
Kick–off 21:00, local time
England will probably
play in Red
Useful Numbers
Fans’ Embassy Helpline:
+44 7956 121314
British Consular Helpline:
+33 (0)1 44 51 31 00
England Supporters Club (FA):
+44 7970 146250
Emergency: 112
Contact Free Lions
E-mail: [email protected]
Gifts & Postcards to:
Free Lions, c/o the FSF
1, Ashmore Terrace
Stockton Road
Sunderland
SR2 7DE
£20, DOWN FROM £25
IT WASN’T ME
The Free Lions fanzine is produced by the
Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF), the
national membership-based organisation for
fans. We have tried to ensure the accuracy of
all the information provided in this fanzine, but
can accept no responsibility for any loss, injury
or inconvenience suffered by any one relying on
its contents. None of the financial support we
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A
ND welcome to SaintÉtienne, host city for our
final group stage game. We
arrive here top of the table thanks
to that dramatic last-ditch winner in Lens. A win over Slovenia
would guarantee that we win the
group, and play our second-round
match at the Parc des Princes in
Paris – more tickets and less distance than the alternative of Nice.
That win against Wales was important
in more ways than one. The result
clearly mattered, but against the background of the previous few days in
Marseille and in Lille, the whole experience of fans in Lens was crucial. The
media, especially back home, had been
repeating all the tired and outdated
old stereotypes and prejudices about
England fans, based on the activities of
a small minority and largely disregarding the role of Russian hooligans and
the local police tactics.
The small town of Lens was packed
with supporters of both teams, and
the much-vaunted alcohol ban didn’t
really seem to materialise, with both
sets of fans able to access beer in
plastic glasses from innumerable
sales outlets – some of them springing up just for the day.
This was a UK derby played abroad,
and as the day unfolded, we
witnessed an atmosphere that was
exemplary. Both anthems respected
and applauded, fervent yet good
humoured support inside the ground,
socialising together outside: this was
a lesson in how international football should be. And it demonstrated
just what we’re capable of, once the
joint threats of attacks and heavyhanded policing are removed.
It sometimes feels like England fans
get the blame for everything, and the
credit for nothing. On this occasion
let us clearly say: your support was
magnificent, as witnessed by the
scenes as Sturridge’s winner went
in, and your sporting behaviour was
beyond reproach. Well done!
COVER STORY
Kyle Walker may not have grabbed any headlines by poaching
England’s goals, but the consensus amongst the Free Lions team
is that he’s been our best player throughout the first two group
games. Tight at the back and swift to attack – every inch the
modern full-back – at times he’s been our best creative outlet.
have received to produce Free Lions impacts
on what we put in it. Consequently, none
of our supporters can be held in any way
responsible for the contents of, nor the views
expressed in, this fanzine.
THANK YOU
We are grateful to Getty Images and the
FAOPL for photography, and to UEFA for maps.
Website: www.fsf.org.uk
Email: [email protected]
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
@FSF_FreeLions
facebook.com/FreeLions
As ever, this fanzine has been a team effort.
This edition was edited by Kevin Miles,
and thanks are due to Phil Rowley; Clive
Hetherington, Joe Hetherington; Becky
Gamester-Newton; Garreth Cummins;
Ronan Evain; John Sykes; Sarah Storey, Andy
Wilkinson, Peter Daykin and Rachael Loftus.
Potato.
PAGE 3
our Fans’ Embassy service.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
PAGE 4
Vardy took just ten minutes to make an impact
A
NOTHER Euro 2016 late
show, but this time
England could take a
bow. After hanging their heads
in despair when Russia denied
them victory with a last-gasp
goal in Marseille, it was bravo
to England, who struck in stoppage time to come from behind
and beat Wales 2-1 in Lens.
England now only need a point
against Slovakia here in SaintÉtienne to guarantee qualification
for the last 16, and a win would
mean they go through as Group B
winners. But, not for the first time
in their history, the Three Lions did
it the hard way in the game billed
as The Battle of Britain.
Trailing to Gareth Bale’s 42nd-minute free-kick – which embarrassed
goalkeeper Joe Hart should have
saved – Roy Hodgson’s hand was
forced at the break as the England
boss threw on Jamie Vardy for
Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge
for Raheem Sterling to inject
greater attacking intent. And they
did just that, Leicester’s Vardy levelling ten minutes into the second
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half and Sturridge playing his part
in that goal before the Liverpool
star stole the winner in the second
minute of added time.
Hodgson was off the hook, but he
had to rip up his plans and go for
broke. Alan Shearer, commenting
on the BBC, said: “At half-time,
although we’d dominated possession, we hadn’t worked their keeper and it wasn’t good enough. We
didn’t see anywhere near enough
of Sterling. Roy’s neck was on the
line and he had to make changes –
and it worked perfectly for him. It
was a brilliant decision.
“Vardy gambled on the ball dropping to him from a few yards out,
and the gamble paid off. We didn’t
have that in the first half or in the
first game. But England deserved
it. In the second half, we had possession but there was something
at the end of it. We stretched them
more and got bodies into the box
for once, and the guys Roy put on
produced the goods.’’
Shearer’s fellow former England
captain Rio Ferdinand said: “England
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were probing and pushing forward
in the second half and it was great to
see. Roy brought the strikers on.
opener with a perfectly-judged
ball, before scoring himself in
sublime style.
“We criticised him after the Russia
game, especially for his substitutions, but we have to give him
credit this time. He’s thrown the
strikers on, they flooded the box,
and the chances fell to the right
people. Sturridge did what you
get told to do as a kid, ‘Play and
run’. It was beautiful the way he
then guided the ball in.’’
But it was disappointing to see
Slovakia sit back on their two-goal
cushion after the break rather than
turn the screw on the Russians.
By all accounts, Sturridge had
been “on fire’’ in training, which
makes you wonder why he wasn’t
on Hodgson’s team sheet at kickoff time.
Sturridge: “on fire”
The award of a penalty against
Wales defender Ben Davies for
handball just after the half-hour
would have been harsh. But German
referee Felix Brych missed a shirt
tug on Davies’ Tottenham teammate
Kane in the same incident.
But Hodgson has a stubborn
streak and that showed in his decision to stick with an unchanged
side after the massive disappointment of the 1-1 draw in Marseille
in a game they should have won
– and won comfortably.
Only one side looked as though they
wanted to win the game as Wales
were content to let England control
possession. But skipper Wayne
Rooney’s frustration cost England
when he gave away an unnecessary
free-kick 30 yards or so out for a
foul on Hal Robson-Kanu after the
striker had dispossessed him.
Most England observers would
have had Vardy, who hit 24
Premier League goals for titlewinning Leicester last season, in
the starting line-up, probably at the
expense of Sterling.
That is Bale’s sort of range, but
Hart has to take the blame for only
helping to shovel the dipping strike
into the net.
Certainly, the chance Sterling
missed after only seven minutes,
when he lifted his first-time finish
high and wide from Adam Lallana’s excellent centre, was the
type of opportunity that Vardy
would have relished – and most
likely buried.
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England’s double switch at the
interval paid dividends as Vardy
turned the ball home deep inside
the six-yard box after Wales’ skipper Ashley Williams had knocked
down Sturridge’s left-wing cross.
Vardy was in an offside position,
but Williams’ headed interven-
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tion was clearly intentional and
therefore the goal stood.
The introduction of Manchester
United’s rookie striker Marcus
Rashford for his competitive England debut, underlined Hodgson’s
desperation as the match moved
into its last 20 minutes.
But it was Sturridge who rescued
the campaign, squeezing the ball
inside Wayne Hennessey’s near
post after taking a return, with
Dele Alli and Vardy involved in
the move.
Hopefully Hodgson will opt
for Vardy and Sturridge again
against Slovakia, who should not
be taken too lightly after their 2-1
victory over Russia in Lille.
In the opening half of that game, Jan
Kozak’s side were a class apart from
the Russians, who won’t be missed
– for all manner of reasons – if they
are sent packing by the Welsh.
The magical Marek Hamsik was
Slovakia’s inspiration as he set up
Vladimir Weiss’s clinically-taken
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They paid a dangerous price when
Denis Glushakov was afforded a
free header to round off a wellworked move and make for a nervous last ten minutes for the Slovaks.
Ruddy-faced Russia coach Leonid
Slutsky looked like he was about to
spontaneously combust, watching
in frustration as his side sought
an equaliser that never came. But
Hamsik sets high standards and
there was a shake of the head from
Slovakia’s talisman on the final
whistle, indicating his bemusement
over the way his team let Russia
back into the game.
Former England defender Martin
Keown said: “At this level, you have
to have the quality and willingness to get forward, which Russia
simply didn’t have. Hamsik showed
it’s about playing on the half-turn
and being able to pick a pass. He’s
just different class. Slovakia did to
Russia what England couldn’t do
and it was all down to the quality
of the finishing.’’
But ex-England midfielder Jermaine
Jenas said: “I have to question Jan
Kozak’s game management and
the mentality he put into Slovakia
in the second half.’’
PAGE 5
AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH CLIVE HETHERINGTON?
BY CLIVE HETHERINGTON
YOUR FREE LIONS GUIDE
W
ELCOME to Saint-Étienne, a city that, like
our previous hosts in
Lens, doesn’t have a huge deal
to recommend to the general
tourist trade and, like Lens with
Lille, one that is overshadowed
by its regional neighbour, Lyon.
It is, however, one of France’s great
footballing cities and, renowned for
Les Verts’ exploits throughout the
60s and 70s both domestically and
in Europe, Saint-Étienne provides
some real footballing heritage to
back up its status as a host city for
Euro 2016.
Sadly, the decline in the city’s footballing form during the 80s was
mirrored in its industry, but thanks
to a huge deal of regeneration
the city is now booming again.
Indeed, it is the only city in France
to be designated as a UNESCO
City of Design, but still retains
something of the local, smalltown feel for a major hub. You’ll
find a great number of statues,
murals, modern design and quirky
artworks all around the place.
TICKET COLLECTION
If you need to collect your tickets
from the FA, you can do so from
the Espace International, 10 Arcade de L’hotel de Ville, 42000
Saint-Étienne.
They’re available between 12:00
and 18:00 on Sunday, and from
11:00 until 19:00 on matchday.
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THE STADIUM
GETTING TO THE GROUND
THE ‘DRINKING BAN’: FACT OR FICTION?
I
F you’re up for it, the Stade
Geoffroy-Guichard is about a
30-minute walk, around 2km
north of the city centre.
O
NE thing we can be sure
of – and there’s very little we can be sure of at
this tournament – is that unless
you’re one of those touristy
types who gets tickets for
games other than England’s and
does a bit of ground-hopping,
that this will be your only visit
to the Stade Geoffroy Guichard.
Holding 42,000 for the Euro 2016
tournament, the ground has that
fabled ‘English’ feel to it with four
distinct stands and a steep rake.
Having played host to Iceland’s
1-1 draw with Portugal, and the
Czech Republic’s game against
Croatia (let’s guess and say it was
a 2-0 win to the Croats), this is the
penultimate game to be played
in Saint-Étienne – one knock-out
game, between the runners-up of
Groups A and C, is all that remains
after our visit today.
Due to its formidable atmosphere,
Stade Geoffroy-Guichard became
known as the “Cauldron” and the
“Green Hell” in the late-60s and
early-70s when AS Saint-Étienne
won four league titles, and the
Coupe de France four times.
The stadium gets its name from the
founder of the Casino retail group
– one of the biggest retailers in the
world who you may never have
heard of, but who are a big deal
in supermarkets and have their
headquarters in the town.
Opened in 1931, the ground was
originally multi-purpose with a
grand stand and running track.
Luckily, the running track was
removed in the 1950s.
As with many of the pre-existing
stadiums that are hosting games
at these Euros, some pre-tournament renovation work to Stade
Geoffroy-Guichard gave it a
much needed facelift – with many
of the old-fashioned supports (that
offered up some very ‘English’ style
restricted views) were removed,
and the corners were filled in.
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The fanzone is located halfway
between the city and the stadium,
and so might provide a natural
stopping-off point for some who
want to break their walk. Located
at the Parc Francois Mitterrand,
it has a capacity of 20,000, so is
slightly larger than what was on
offer in Lens and able to accommodate a few more of you who don’t
have tickets for the game.
If walking’s not for you, then you
can get the tram north from the
town centre to the G. Guichard
stop, and walk east along Rue
Claude Odde – this will probably
take you 10 minutes. It can also be
reached by the number 9 bus from
the city centre.
GETTING BACK TO LYON
W
ITH so many fans
staying up the road
in Lyon, we’ve had
a number of questions about
travel back after the game.
While the normal timetable that
appeared on the SNCF website
shows trains finishing at 21:00,
we’re informed that there are
special services operating. The last
departure is at 01:20.
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T
HERE has been much
made of the alcohol ‘ban’
in the host cities. Officially, the sale of alcohol may
be suspended in shops and supermarkets in the area during
the period around matchday.
Drinks will be sold in bars and
the fanzones, but it shouldn’t
be consumed in public places
such as on public transport, in
car parks or on the streets.
We’ve found in practice that
some of this is true – we certainly
couldn’t see any way of getting
into the alcohol aisle near our fans’
embassy base in Lille (see image).
However, in truth the banning of
drinking in the streets has been dif-
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
@FSF_FreeLions
ficult to enforce. In Lens, the drinks
being served were in plastic cups
(an improvement on the bottles in
Marseille, which were not a great
combination with poor policing
and Russian hooliganism), but the
bars were of such a small size that
inevitably the drinking spilled onto
the streets. And on the way to the
stadium. And on the way back from
the stadium.
In Marseille, drinks were still being
sold in shops around the ground.
So, if you hear that ‘drinking is
banned’ wherever England are
playing, it may not quite be the
outright ban that it seems.
You can still enjoy a drink in the
bars and pubs that Saint-Étienne
offers, and you may be able to take
the drink out of the venue if it’s in
a suitable drinking vessel, but don’t
expect to be able to stock up on
alcohol from the local supermarket
because it’s highly likely that you
won’t be able to.
PAGE 7
PAGE 6
WELCOME TO SAINT-ÉTIENNE
THE FREE LIONS GUIDE
FANZONE
GETTING AROUND
USEFUL INFO
L
OCAL transport is run by
STAS (Société de Transports de l’Agglomération
Stéphanoise, to give them their
full title), and they operate
trams, trolleybuses, buses, as
well as a bike network similar
to London’s ‘Boris Bikes’.
T
HE Saint-Étienne fanzone
holds 20,000 people and
is based in the Francois
Mitterand park. It’s scheduled
to open from 18:00 on Sunday,
and from 17:00 on match day.
Note security is tight so expect a bag
search – and if it’s too big, we’ve
found that the storage facilities at
fanzones have been non-existent
or very limited so there’s a strong
chance you won’t be allowed in.
FANS’ EMBASSY
T
HE FSF Fans’ Embassy will
be in operation in SaintÉtienne, as it is at every
England game away from home,
offering information, advice
and assistance to England fans.
We will be in operation on match
day (Monday) and the day before
(Sunday), between the hours of
10:00 and 17:00, and we will be
based outside the main railway
station. Of course, we will also be
available to assist around the clock
via the helpline:
+44 7956 121314
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THINGS TO SEE AND DO
W
HILE it’s not likely to
make many top tens
of places to head to in
summer 2017, that’s not to say
that this small city in the Loire
Valley isn’t without its charms.
And while we expect a good many
of you will be staying up the road
in Lyon, there will be some hardy
souls who are booked in for the
long stay, so here’s the lowdown
on some of the city’s cultural and
touristic highlights.
There are a number of museums
in the city for those seeking out a
spot of culture and education, with
a lot focused on the heritage and
history of the region itself. One such
example is the Musée d’art et
d’Industrie on Place Louis Comte.
Exhibitions focus on the city’s industrial heritage, with the major industries of cycling, weapons and textiles
(and it’s not often you’ll find all three
of those in the same museum).
Along similar lines is the ParcMuséé de la Mine (Boulevard
Maréchal) – a listed historic monument and an exponent of the city’s
mining heritage.
And you thought you’d heard the
last of mines and mining when you
left Lens.
There’s cultural history on offer,
too, with the history of the region’s
resistance efforts housed in the
Memorial de la Résistance et de
la Déportation (Rue du Théatre),
which houses photos, testimonials and artefacts from the Second
World War.
Saint-Étienne were also the first
French club to have their own museum, and you can take a trip back
through the history of this iconic
French club (and view such items as
the infamous square goalposts from
Hampden Park, where they lost to
Bayern Munich in the final in 1976)
at 14 Rue Paul et Pierre Guichard.
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Hospital
Hospital La Charite
Rue Pointe Cadet
+33 (0)4 77 82 80 00
The city centre itself isn’t too large,
and so a decent amount of what
you want to see and do can be covered on foot, but should you need
it the transport network covers all
key areas. A single journey costs
€1.40 across all modes of transport
if you buy before you board, and
entitles you to unlimited travel
(including changes/returns) within
a 90-minute period. If you buy
on-board (buses only) the fare rises
ten cents to €1.50.
The one downside, though, is travelling at night – public transport
generally runs from around 05.3006:00 until around 20:30-21:00. In
the evenings, you’ll need a taxi if
you’re covering any large distance,
so bear this in mind.
Tickets are sold at automatic ticket
machines, STAS kiosks and major
transport interchanges. Ticket machines are unlikely to accept most
foreign credit/debit cards, so ensure
you have some spare change,
or buy your tickets at a major
interchange such as Chateaucreux
station where you will be able to
pay with credit/debit cards.
Saint-Étienne also offers a small
cycle hire scheme. There are 27
stations dotted around the city,
and hire rates start at €1 for the
day (you have to leave credit card
details as a deposit in case you fail
to return the bike).
Queues could be an issue here,
however, with large numbers of
fans arriving from Lyon on a fairly
regular basis, so bear this in mind.
For more details on fares, maps and
transport arrangements, visit
www.reseau-stas.fr/ (French only).
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If you need a taxi, try:
• Allo Taxis 42
+33 (0)4 27 86 23 23
• Radio Taxis Saint-Étienne
+33 (0)4 77 25 42 42
Bike hire is free for the first 30
minutes, and costs €1 per half-hour
thereafter. While it’s unlikely you’d
need to hire the bike for any more
than half an hour, if you wish to
continue cycling simply dock the
bike and hire another one, restarting the clock on your free hire.
For more details visit:
www.velivert.fr
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
@FSF_FreeLions
Post Office
La Poste Badouillere
39 Rue Gambetta
Opening hours: Monday to
Friday 08:00 to 12:30 and 13:30
to 18:00. Saturday 09:00 to
midday.
Closed on Sundays.
Tourist Office
16 Avenue de la Libération
+33 (0)4 77 49 39 00
Opening hours: Monday to
Saturday - 10:00 to 12:30 and
14:00 to 18:30.
Closed on Sundays.
British Consulate
The nearest British Consulate is
in the Embassy in Paris:
35 rue du Faubourg St-Honore
75383 Paris cedex 08
+33 (0)1 44 51 32 89
@BritishinFrance
www.gov.uk/world/france
PAGE 9
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If you prefer a drop of the grape
to the grain, then l’Obobar (Rue
Léon Nautin) is a nice little wine
bar that also offers local SaintÉtienne dishes.
For those interested in architecture, Le Corbusier established
his biggest architectural complex
in nearby Firminy, while for art
lovers there’s always the Musée
d’Art Moderne et Contemporain in nearby Saint-Priest-enJarez to the north of the city,
which has a collection of 20th
and 21st century art to rival any
museum outside Paris.
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The city also has a large student
population, and there’s a good mix
of different types of bar, club and
pub to cater to all tastes. Le Picca
(Place Neuve) is a big favourite
with the city’s young population.
For those looking for a taste of
home, Le Soggy Bottom (Rue
de la Résistance) is an Irish
pub with a decent mixture of
domestic and imported beers.
There’s also Le Smoking Dog on
Rue George Dupré, the Crazy
Leprechaun on Rue Notre
Dame and the Crossroad Tavern
on Rue Etienne Mimard. Where
do they get those names?
Po
The main concentration of bars and
cafes can be found around Places
Jean Jaurés, Rue de Martys de
Vingré and Rue Georges Dupré
in the city centre, and the area acts
as a real hub for the city after dark.
The Vert Bouteille (Rue des
Martyrs de Vingré) is a favourite
with locals for its great range of
wines. Nomad serves a range of
local specialities in a contemporary
style, while the Absinthe Café
caters more to the French classical
style of cuisine.
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M
UCH like Lens, the
city centre of SaintÉtienne, such as it is,
is pretty compact, which on the
downside means there isn’t a
huge range of options on offer
for visiting Three Lions fans.
On the plus side, it means that
there’s isn’t a great deal of
ground to cover and most of
the main options are within a
short walk of each other.
One of the major chateaux,
although in this case meaning
‘castle’ rather than ‘producer of
wine’, is the 11th century Chateau
de Saint-Victor in Saint Victor
sur-Loire to the west of the city.
Surrounded by gardens, it is a local
cultural centre (more at www.
chateau-saint-victor.com). The
village is also the departure point
for a number of Loire cruises, which
are very popular ways to explore
the region, and a pleasant way to
while away a few hours watching
the world go by.
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HILE there might not
be a huge amount
in the city itself, the
location of Saint-Étienne means
that there’s plenty of accessible
interests in the surrounding
countryside. And deep in the
heart of the Loire Valley you’re
in expert wine country, so there
are plenty of chateaux and
wine-tasting options available.
US IN LILLE
Lyon
Marseille
Paris
FOR THOSEMAP
OF
SAINT-ÉTIENNE
YOUR FREE LIONS GUIDE
e
PAGE 10
SCOUSE PHIL’S FREE LIONS
FOOTBALL QUIZ
SLOVAKIA MUSIC QUIZ
M
artin Skrtel is captain
of Slovakia and
in recognition of
that fact (and also because
Scouse Phil knows nothing
about Slovakian music), each
question or answer in the
following quiz contains the
word ‘martin’.
1
Which band produced the
album London 0 Hull 4 in
1986, that featured the top five hit
‘Happy Hour’?
2
Gwyneth Paltrow was married
for ten years to the lead singer
of the band Coldplay, but what is
his name?
3
Who finished third in Celebrity
Big Brother 2012, played Reggie Kray in the film ‘The Krays’ and
was a member of new romantic
band Spandau Ballet?
4
What alphabetical band was
fronted in the 80s by Martin
Fry, having hits such as ‘Look of
Love’ and ‘Poison Arrow’?
1
2
Question 2:
Gwyneth Paltrow
Question 6:
Martine McCutcheon
5
‘Shaken not stirred’ is how
James Bond likes his martini,
but in the 2006 film Casino Royale,
for which Soundgarden singer
Chris Cornell sang the theme tune,
how is Bond’s martini incorrectly
prepared whilst he is in a casino?
6
Martine McCutcheon had a
Number One hit in 1999 with
the song ‘Perfect Moment’, but
in which TV programme did she
portray the character Tiffany Raymond?
7
‘She’s into superstitions, black
cats and voodoo dolls’ is the
first line of which 1997 Number
One hit by Ricky Martin?
8
Born Dino Crocetti in Ohio in
1917, with a string of hits
including ‘Memories Are Made of
This’ and ‘That’s Amore’, and perhaps
best known as a member of the rat
pack, what is his stage name?
9
Big-voiced balladeer Al Martino had a hit with which type
of eyes: French, Italian or Spanish?
10
The track ‘Glory’ featured
in the 2014 film ‘Selma’
and won a Golden Globe and Oscar
for best original song, but which
iconic American figure was the film
primarily about?
A
Answers to the Music and
Football quizzes can be
found on Page 23 of Free Lions
LIFE THROUGH A LENS
Tears, not gas...
Gareth Bale has not
ed England’s lack of
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passion
Who scored the winning goal
in this year’s FA Cup Final?
Home Park is the home
ground of which Football
League team?
Which player in the England
squad played the most league
games for their club this season
(2015-16)?
...and who played the fewest
league games?
Name the six teams with ‘City’
in their name that have played
in the League Cup Final since 1999.
6
Which country were runnersup in England’s Euro
2016 qualifying group?
9
The song ‘Will Grigg’s on fire,
your defence is terrified’ to
the tune of ‘Freed from Desire’
is proving a popular chant, but
which club and country does Will
Grigg play for?
10
I was born in Middlesbrough in 1967 and
played mostly for Middlesbrough,
Blackburn and Southampton, winning two England caps between
1993 and 1997; I am now a solicitor. Who am I?
Back by popular demand, it’s the...
FREE LIONS
WORDSEARCH
...and as always it’s all about
finding the listed words hidden in
the grid. This time, it’s not players’
surnames you’re looking for;
there’s a topical theme: 15 words
associated with Russian hooligans.
Have fun!
BUMBAGS
GUMSHIELDS
GLOVES
GO PRO
WEAPONS
COWARDLY
AMBUSH
BRUTAL
STUPIDITY
MARSEILLE
COLLUSION
PROVOCATION
HOMOPHOBIA
CHEAP TRAINERS DISHONOURABLE
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French playmaker Paul Pogba
plays for which club side?
What is the name of the North
Yorkshire theme park, zoo and
holiday resort that is the shirt
sponsors of Hull City?
3
4
5
7
8
Question 7:
Paul Pogba
J N
N U F C E N D E H K C I D
A O
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O
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P
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B I
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U R
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A N P A WE
B P
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Q S N O P A
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PAGE 13
PAGE 12
SCOUSE PHIL’S FREE LIONS
ENGLAND ON THE SPOT
PAGE 14
CONTACT CLIVE VIA [email protected]
England fans will need no reminding of how Pirlo performed the
trick, scoring Italy’s second as they
knocked the Three Lions out of
Euro 2012, 4-2 on penalties.
THE Panenka Penalty
W
HEN it comes to
international success,
Slovakia have every
right to cling to the memory of
their role in a European Championship final that captivated
the football world.
No fewer than eight of the
victorious Czechoslovakia side that
started against West Germany in
1976 were Slovaks. But the player
who clinched that triumph, in a
penalty shoot-out and in the most
extraordinary fashion, was a Czech.
Antonin Panenka’s delicatelychipped spot-kick stunned everyone – especially West Germany’s
legendary goalkeeper Sepp Maier
– with its sheer audacity. It was
a remarkable climax as Czechoslovakia were crowned European
champions for the only time.
Many have imitated Panenka since
– not all successfully, of course.
Two who did emulate him were
Zinedine Zidane and Andrea Pirlo.
Zidane pulled off the feat in France’s
World Cup final defeat by Italy in
2006, converting his penalty inside
the opening ten minutes. But his moment of madness – when he charged
like a bull into the chest of Marco
Materazzi and was sent off – meant
he missed the decisive shoot-out.
HETHERINGTON’S VERDICT
Prediction: Slovakia 1 England 2
England have a 100 per cent
record against Slovakia, beating
them 2-1 – both in Bratislava
and at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium – in qualifying
for Euro 2004, and 4-0 in a
Wembley friendly in 2009. But
the Slovaks are an unpredictable
side and capable of springing
surprises, like their qualifying
victory over Spain and a friendly
win away to weakened world
champions Germany in the
build-up to Euro 2016. England,
however, should have enough
quality to achieve victory.
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Naturally, this particular party
piece will was always be known
as the Panenka Penalty and the
eponymous spot-kick guaranteed
the Czech midfielder’s place in the
annals of the game.
Forty years on, much has changed.
In 1993, Czechoslovakia split back
into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Three years later, the Czechs
reached the final of Euro ’96 where
they lost to Germany, semi-final
shoot-out conquerors of England.
So what of Slovakia, our opponents
here? Since they and the Czechs
went their separate ways, the
Slovaks have only qualified for the
World Cup once, in 2010 in South
Africa, where they ended Italy’s
hopes of retaining their crown with
a momentous 3-2 victory.
This is the first time Slovakia
have made the Euro finals as an
independent nation. They set off on
the road to France with six straight
wins, including a 2-1 home victory
over Spain – the first defeat the
reigning European champions had
suffered in qualifying for a major
tournament in 37 games.
Former Chelsea wideman Miroslav
Stoch grabbed a late winner after
midfielder Juraj Kucka’s long-range
free-kick had struck an early blow.
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big difference for Slovakia and
almost salvaged a point when his
header hit the woodwork.
Slovakia finished second in the
group behind the Spaniards.
Another eye-catching result, albeit
against a virtual second string, was
a 3-1 pre-tournament friendly win
in Germany. The Slovaks came from
behind to sink the world champions
in the torrential rain of Augsburg
with strikes by Marek Hamsik – top
scorer in qualifying with five goals –
Michal Duris and Kucka.
But in their final warm-up game,
Slovakia were held to a goalless
draw by Northern Ireland in Trnava,
and Wales inflicted a 2-1 defeat on
Jan Kozak’s side in their Euro 2016
opener in Bordeaux.
Hamsik showed his class as he
ghosted through the Welsh defence
in the opening minutes, only for
Ben Davies to make a miraculous
goalmouth clearance and deny the
Napoli playmaker what would have
been a glorious goal.
Saving that, Slovakia started
slowly and soon fell behind to
Gareth Bale’s early free-kick.
Ondrej Duda levelled after an
hour, but Hal Robson-Kanu came
off the bench to restore Wales’
lead late on. Like Duda, fellow
substitute Adam Nemec made a
Ondrej Duda
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Returning to the subject of penalties, let us not forget we are back
at the scene of one of England’s
shoot-out losses, at the 1998 World
Cup, where another big-name player lost his cool – a certain David
Beckham – and saw red for kicking
out at Diego Simeone as Argentina
beat us and Paul Ince and David
Batty failed from the spot. At least
that is one scenario we won’t face
on this visit to Saint-Étienne.
SLOVAKIA’ KEY THREE – BY JOE HETHERINGTON
MARTIN SKRTEL
The Liverpool
defender has
long divided
opinion.
At his best,
Skrtel could be
considered one of the best
centre-backs in the Premier
League, but he has been prone
to rash decisions. He has made
more than 300 appearances for
the Reds since joining them in
2008. This season, however, he
has struggled for game-time
due to a spate of injuries, and
has even been linked with a
move from Anfield this summer.
The 31-year-old is the linchpin
of Slovakia’s backline and will
look to impose himself with his
physical presence.
MAREK HAMSIK
With his big
hair and
array of
tattoos, the
playmaker is
one of the most
recognisable footballers in the
world. He poses a threat not just
with goalscoring ability, but also
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his passing skills. The 28-year-old
started at Slovan Bratislava before
moving to Italy. He first joined
Brescia Calcio in 2004 and three
years later moved to current club
Napoli. Hamsik is closing in on
100 appearances for the Slovaks,
and scored twice in a 4-2 win over
Luxembourg in qualifying for Euro
2016. Also netted in a friendly
against Germany in May.
ROBERT MAK
Some England
fans may
have a vague
recollection of
the attacking
midfielder, who
featured briefly for Manchester
City’s reserves, but moved to FC
Nuremberg having failed to make
the grade with the Blues. After
a fairly uninspiring period at the
German club, Mak moved to PAOK
of Greece in 2014, where he has
been in good form this season.
The 25-year-old scored the only
goal of the game away to Borussia
Dortmund in the Europa League last
December, and provided the assist
for Slovakia’s equaliser against Wales
in the Euro 2016 Group B opener.
PAGE 15
AGREE OR DISAGREE WITH CLIVE HETHERINGTON?
BY CLIVE HETHERINGTON
IF ENGLAND WIN THE GROUP
W
HEN it comes to the
knockout stages, it used
to be easy. Finish top,
and you head to city A. Finish
second and you head to city B.
been more complex. After two
games played, a win and a draw
on the board, we could conceivably
play our next game in Lens. Or
Paris. Or Lille. Or Nice.
With the expanded nature of these
Euros, however, and all that the
‘four best third placed teams’ route
brings with it, the question of
where we might go next has never
Coming into the game against
Slovakia, Lens and Lille are only
options should England finish the
group stage as one of the highest
third-placed finishers.
Our decision to cover them in only
the briefest detail (see pages 22 and
23) is by no means a reflection of
the fact we think we’ll finish first
or second – believe us, we’ve been
watching England long enough not
to take that for granted. Rather it’s
acknowledgement that both are
well-known to England fans already
from our second group game against
Wales, and both have been covered
extensively in recent editions (available from the Fans’ Embassy).
So let’s be optimistic and assume,
for the sake of argument, that
everything goes to plan against
Slovakia and, whisper it quietly,
Roy Hodgson’s table-toppers earn a
Round of 16 tie in Paris. Or at least a
second-placed England look forward
to a trip to Nice (see page 19).
GETTING THERE
Finally, a city that’s easily reachable,
with plenty of transport options!
BY AIR
Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport
(also known as Roissy) located
to the north-east of the city is the
gateway to the country, and is one
of the busiest airports in the world.
There are connections from virtually every major airport in the UK,
should you be heading back home
between the group stages and the
knockout rounds. Easyjet and Air
France are major carriers.
To get to or from Paris, the RER
commuter train, line B, has stations
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in Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 (free
internal transfers are available if you
land at Terminal 1 or Terminal 2G).
Trains to Paris leave every 7-8 minutes and stop at major stations in
the city centre including Gare du
Nord, Châtelet-Les Halles and
Saint-Michel Notre-Dame. Adult
tickets cost €10, and for children
between 4-10 the fare is €6.65.
You should buy your tickets before
boarding, from the ticket desks or the
Ile de France ticket machines (English
options are available – credit/debit
cards are accepted, along with coins
– but note that Euro notes are not
accepted at these machines).
Bus transfers are also available
(using easyBus, Roissybus and
local route numbers 350-351), but
Parisian traffic is a nightmare at
the best of times, and so while you
may save a couple of Euros, your
journey could take twice as long as
the train connection.
A taxi to/from the airport will
cost around €60, and more in bad
traffic, which is pretty much all the
time in Paris.
Orly Airport is the city’s other
main gateway, located around
13km to the southwest of the city.
It’s a hub for connecting flights to
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PAGE 16
LOOKING AHEAD TO PARIS
the rest of France for Air France and
its subsidiaries, so if you’re getting
a connecting flight up from Lyon
after the Slovakia game, or you’ve
been to other games around the
country in the meantime, there’s a
good chance you’ll be arriving in to
Paris’s ‘other’ airport.
Orly is around a 30-minute drive
from the city centre using the
Orlybus, which connects with the
Metro at Denfert-Rochereau for
Lines 4 and 6.
A shuttle bus, Paris par le train,
connects the airport to RER line C
at Pont de Rungis station. The bus,
which takes 10 minutes, costs €2.50
and the RER into central Paris, which
takes 25 minutes, costs €3.80.
BY TRAIN
Paris, like London, has a number of
different major mainline stations, and
the one you arrive into will depend
on whether you’re arriving from
elsewhere in France or from the UK.
The main points of arrival for
England fans will most likely be
either Gare du Nord, where the
Eurostar services from London
and trains from the north of France
arrive, or Gare de Lyon for those
travelling up from our last group
stage game in Saint-Étienne.
Gare du Nord connects with the
RER lines B and D, which serve the
Stade de France, and Metro lines
4 and 5, while Gare de Lyon connects with RER lines A and D, and
Metro lines 1 and 14.
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THE STADIUM
L
OCATED in south-west Paris
on the north side of the
Seine and named after the
monarchy’s old hunting grounds,
the 45,000 capacity Parc Des
Princes is home to the mega-rich
Qatari playthings and habitual
destroyers of Ligue 1 dreams
Paris Saint-German (PSG).
The French side, courtesy of their
owners’ largesse, have won the
title for the last four years and,
given the paucity of investment
in the rest of the division, they
look well set for a period of
extreme dominance.
The Parc Des Princes is well
connected with the rest of the
city – roughly 4km south-west of
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the Eiffel Tower, it’s served by the
Périphérique ring-road, which
also doubles as France’s largest
car-park, and the Porte de SaintCloud Metro station (Line 9),
which is a five-minute walk away.
It’s not advisable to walk from
the fanzone to the stadium,
particularly in a city such as Paris
that has such frequent Metro
services, and we envisage most
fans will use public transport to
reach the ground.
Line 9 runs through the city centre,
close to a lot of the major tourist
hotspots, while the other alternative is Porte d’Auteuil on Line
10, which is about a 10-minute
walk from the ground.
IF ENGLAND WIN THE GROUP
GETTING AROUND
P
ARIS has an excellent and
extensive Metro network,
comprising 16 lines which
all run broadly from 5am to
shortly after midnight (and a
bit later on Friday and Saturday nights).
T
HEY’VE written songs,
produced movies and written entire books trying to
capture the essence of Paris, so
trying to squeeze in a few of
the key highlights from one of
the world’s great cities into a
hundred words or so in fanzine
is something of a pointless task.
You know all the major places
already – the Eiffel Tower (which
is also home to the fanzone), the
Louvre, the Champs Elysées, Notre Dame, Sacre Coeur, the Arc de
Triomphe, the Paris Hilton… we’ll
cover some of these in more detail in
the next issue of Free Lions, but for
now it’s probably best to highlight
where you can get some key tourist
info, free maps and suchlike when
you get to the French capital.
TOURIST INFORMATION
The Paris Tourist Office has five
welcome centres:
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• Pyramides (25 Rue des
Pyramides) – open 7 days, 09:30
to 18:30
• Espace Paris Rendez-vous (29
Rue de Rivoli) – open Monday to
Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00. Closed on
Sundays
• Gare du Nord (18 Rue de
Dunkerque) – open 7 days a week
from 08:00 to 18:00
• Anvers-Montmartre (72 Boulevard Rochechouart) – open 7 days
from 10:00 to 18:00
• Gare de l’Est (Place du 11
Novembre) – open Monday to
Saturday, 08:00 to 19:00. Closed on
Sundays.
It’s one of the oldest systems in the
world, and operates 300 stations
so wherever you want to go in the
city, chances are it’s well connected
by Metro – or, if not, the RER which
is the more regional commuter
service that stops at a handful of
major stations in the city centre (as
well as the Stade de France and
Charles de Gaulle).
Single journeys cost €1.80, while
books of ten tickets are available
at a discount of €14.10. Day
passes (known as Ticket Mobilis)
are available for €7, and cover
unlimited journeys within the two
central zones of Paris’ underground system.
For more, visit the RATP website:
www.ratp.fr/en/
If you’re staying for more than a
couple of days, we’d recommend
checking out one of the main tourist
guides to get the most of out of
your stay, and to help you plan an
itinerary. Alternatively, the Paris
Tourist Office’s official website is
http://en.parisinfo.com/
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...OR NICE
IF ENGLAND FINISH RUNNERS UP
PAGE 19
PAGE 18
LOOKING AHEAD TO PARIS...
I
F we finish second, we will
head south once again to
the capital of the French
Riviera, Nice – the country’s
fifth biggest city that many of
you may have travelled through
for our first match in Marseille.
GETTING THERE
BY AIR
Nice is served by Nice Cote
d’Azur Airport, which sits just
5km southwest of the main city.
A hub for Easyjet, it offers connections to a number of other
host cities through Air France
and their budget airline Hop!,
as well as direct flights from the
UK if you’re heading back home
between the group stages and
the knockout rounds.
There are a couple of ways of
getting from the airport to the
city centre - the cheapest is
by using the local bus service
(number 23), which costs €1.50
from the driver onboard. It takes
around 20 minutes to reach the
main train station (Gare Nice
Thiers). Services run from 05:30
to 20:00.
If you’re travelling outside those
hours, there is an airport express
bus (numbers 98 and 99) which run
basically the same route, albeit a
little faster, for €6, and operate until midnight. The tickets are bought
on-board and also have the benefit
of acting as a day-pass for all Nice
public transport.
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There is also a small train station,
Nice St Augustin, which is around
a 10-minute walk from the terminal. This connects you with the
Nice Thiers in the city centre, as
well as destinations along the riviera such as Antibes and Cannes if
you’re staying further afield.
As always, if you’re getting a TGV
service you will need to have a
reservation to be able to travel –
don’t expect to turn up on spec
and just get on any train you fancy.
The local TER connections along
the south coast are ‘pay on the
day’, though.
Taxis from the airport to any destination in town are likely to set you
back around €40.
The station is located at the
northern end of town, around a
2km walk from the sea-front and
the sights in the Vielle Ville (old
town), and is connected to the rest
of the city by the tram network.
BY TRAIN
Gare Nice Thiers (also known as
Gare de Nice Ville) connects with
the TGV and national rail network,
and receives trains from Paris as
well as Italian destinations like
Milan, Rome and Venice. If the
flights are chocker to Nice around
the fixture, as we expect they will
be, then flying into Milan and getting the train isn’t the worst idea in
the world.
There are regional TER connections
to all the towns on the riviera such
as Antibes, Cannes, Monaco and
Monte Carlo, Toulon, as well as
Intercité services to Marseille and
as far as Bordeaux.
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BY ROAD
Tucked away in the southeast corner of the country, if you’re driving
to Nice you’ll invariably be taking
the A8 motorway from Aix-enProvence.
If you’re heading down from SaintÉtienne or Lyon you’ll be following
signs for Marseille for a good while
on the A7. You’ll then turn west as
you approach Aix onto the A8.
It’s around 480km from SaintÉtienne to Nice, which should
take you about five hours.
IF ENGLAND FINISH RUNNERS UP
PAGE 21
PAGE 20
LOOKING AHEAD TO NICE
ACCOMMODATION
F
FANZONE
T
HE fanzone is based
around the Promenade de
Paillon and Jardin Albert
1ere at the southern end of the
city, near the seafront, and will
have capacity for 10,000 fans,
making it one of the smallest in
the tournament.
It will be open from 13:00 until 01:00
for matches in the knockout stages.
For those who are around for
more than just our matchday,
it will be showing all matches
played in the city, those of the
French national team, and all
games from the quarter-finals onwards on two giant screens (one
in Jardin Albert 1ere, and one at
the Théatre de Verdure).
The activities (five-a-side pitches,
beach soccer, exhibitions including
one from the National Museum of
Sport) will take place in a different
site, at Quai des Etats Unis further down the seafront to the west.
This area will be open every day
throughout the tournament from
10:00 to 19:00.
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GETTING TO THE GROUND
F
OR England’s match, there
will be shuttle buses
departing from the fanzone
and the main railway station
to the Stade de Nice. The first
departures will be at 16:00, the
last at 21:00. From the Parking
du MIN and the Airport to the
stadium, the first departures are
at 16:00 and the last at 19:30.
Fans should purchase a ‘navettes
directes football’ (direct football
shuttle service) ticket which costs
€3 – these are available at the
fanzone, the main train station,
the Parking du MIN and at Nice
Airport in Terminals 1 and 2. There
were reports of long queues from
Northern Ireland fans who played
their opening group stage game
in the city, so make sure you allow
plenty of time to get to the ground.
Also, stock up on water and sun
cream, as standing around in the
baking sun waiting for a bus can
take its toll.
It’s also worth noting that public
transport is also free on matchdays
in Nice.
THE STADIUM
T
HE Stade de Nice (or Allianz Riviera, for sponsorship purposes, depending
on which competition you’re in)
opened in September 2013.
It was much-needed new home
for OGC Nice, replacing the pokey
Stade du Ray – which only held
18,000 and was built in 1927 –
with a 35,000 capacity upgrade.
The ground is located next to the
Var river, around 10km west of Nice
city centre, so make sure you plan
your match-day travel in advance.
TOURIST INFO
Perhaps unsurprisingly for a
major holiday destination, Nice
has no fewer than three tourist
information offices. These can
be found at:
• Promenade des Anglais –
open 09:00 to 19:00 every day
• Promenade de Paillon –
open 10:00 to 20:00 every day
• Railway station – open
09:00 to 19:00 every day
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INALLY, some good news.
After trips to the somewhat limited (in terms of
tourist infrastructure, at least)
Lens and Saint-Étienne, the
French Riviera is hardly short of
accommodation options – from
boutique hotels to package
holiday destinations and everything in between.
With all-but-guaranteed good
weather, too (300 days of sunshine
a year, apparently) camping is a
real option if you’re visiting this
corner of France for our first game
in the knock-out stages, and could
well be the most affordable one.
According to the host city organisers, it has the second largest capacity for visitors out of all the host
cities, which is reassuring to know.
The tourist office has a searchable
database of the city’s accommodation, which will show you what’s
available in your budget: www.
en.nicetourisme.com/accommodation.
If you’re unable to find anything
in Nice for the time you’re visiting,
however, there are plenty of options
along the Cote d’Azur, including
Saint Tropez, Cannes, Antibes
and even Monte Carlo. You could
equally nip across the border in to
Italy in the likes of Sanremo, at a
push. We don’t expect many fans
to be staying down the road in
Marseille, for obvious reasons.
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A
LOT of the town’s main
tourist sights (the Cathedral, various museums)
are located in the old town, and
the seafront and promenade
are sure to be big hits, too.
We’ll be bringing you a much more
in-depth look at the city in the next
issue of Free Lions, should we finish
second in the group. Still, for those
of you who like to plan ahead,
here’s some of Nice’s nicer points.
The town is broadly split into two
areas - the older settlement of
Cimiez which is up the hill, and
Vieux Nice, the winding streets
of the old town located down at
sea level.
The main seafront at Promenade
des Anglais and Quai des Etats
Unis (which is where the activity
part of the fanzone is located)
should be on everyone’s hit list for
a quick stroll in the sunshine.
If you’re determined to find some
sandy beaches, you’ll need to head
further down the coast towards
Cannes and Antibes, as the public
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
@FSF_FreeLions
beaches in Nice are much more
stony, pebbly affairs. Certain hotels
on the seafront grant access to
private, sandy beaches, but for
most of us they’ll be off limits.
The best view of the town can be
had from the Colline du Chateau
(Castle Hill). It’s 90m above sea
level and well worth a look – don’t
worry about the climb, though, as
there’s a lift that’ll take you most
of the way there.
The old town (Vielle Ville) is separated by from the newer settlement
by a strip of public park called La
Promenade du Pallion. Part of
the city’s tramline runs parallel
to this alongside the Boulevard
Jean Jaures, so combined with
the seafront it’s a handy frame of
reference for getting around.
From here, it’s a short walk to the
Cathédrale Sainte-Réparate,
the Town Hall, Opera House and
Palais de Justice as well as some
quieter squares and bars to sit
around in and soak up some sunshine (and perhaps a few drinks).
...OR LENS
I
N
We’ve included many details about
the city in our Wales edition (Issue
146 – spare copies of which may
be available if you ask a fans’
embassy team member nicely) –
and as we could now be playing
in the city rather than just basing
ourselves there for Lens, some information about the stadium itself
might be useful in case we end up
scraping through the group.
FANZONE
T
HE fanzone is situated
in the centre of Lille, in
Place Francois Mitterrand
– in between the Flanders and
Europe train stations. It has a
capacity of 25,000 and while
there are plenty of refreshment
stands, be prepared to queue
for a drink when it’s busy.
THE STADIUM
T
HE Stade Pierre Mauroy
has a capacity of 50,000
and is situated by the university in the area of Villeneuve
d’Ascq, 6km south-east of the
city centre.
The stadium is the new home of
LOSC, complete with retractable
roof, moveable flooring and a
five-star UEFA rating. It’s named
after the former French prime
minister Pierre Mauroy, a popular
figure who died in 2013. He was
celebrated for lowering the retirement age to 60 and increasing paid
holiday entitlement from four to
five weeks.
It’s extremely easy to get to the
stadium – simply use Metro Line 1
(the yellow line) and 4. Cantons
Stade Pierre Mauroy is at the
end of the line, and takes around
15 minutes from the centre of Lille.
You can also get off at the previous
two stops – Villeneuve d’Ascq
Hotel de Ville and Cité Scientifique – and still easily walk from
there to the stadium.
It’s initially €1.80 for a rechargeable metro ticket with one single
journey on it, and it then costs a
further €1.60 per journey when you
load them onto the card. You can
pay for several journeys at once.
Match tickets were not valid for
match day travel for the Russia v
Slovakia game earlier in the tournament, so we don’t expect this to
change. We also found match day
queues for tickets machines were
quite long, and that stewards were
checking that tickets were being
validated, so we’d recommend
buying the amount of journeys you
require as early as you can so you
don’t have to keep queuing.
O, we’re not mistaken –
at time of writing (after
the Wales game), there
is still the chance of returning
to Lens to play again, if we
finish third.
There’s plenty of information about
the small northern town in Free Lions 146, but the benefit of playing
there already is that we can report
on our experience.
The fact that Lens is so small, with
a population of 32,500, has both
its pros and cons. Once you’re in
Lens, everything is walkable – you
can see the top of the stadium
when you emerge from the station,
which is a gentle 15-minute stroll
away. It’s also not difficult to find
a bar in the centre and there are
a few shops on the main street to
grab a bite to eat (although the
McDonald’s next to the stadium
might also be a good shout).
However, those bars mentioned are
small and so fill up quickly. There
aren’t many places for a sit-down
meal and in comparison to Lille and
even Marseille there isn’t a great
deal of beauty about the place (in
fact it reminded us of many small,
generic towns in England).
Quiz
There are security checks on your
way in, and there isn’t any storage
for large bags so don’t take one.
We would also advise being wary
of pickpocketers in the area.
Answers
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PAGE 23
F England finish third in the
group, there is the chance
that we will play in Lille
– which would no doubt be
a popular choice with many,
such are the transport options
from the UK and the town is
much better equipped to cope
with an influx of tourists than,
say, Lens.
IF ENGLAND FINISH THIRD
TRANSPORT
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THE STADIUM
T
HERE were big queues at
the station in Lille coming
out to Lens. Although
extra trains were put on after
the game, there were also huge
queues to get a train back to
Lille and the last one was due
to leave just over three hours
after the match had finished.
We’d advise fans to book tickets
in advance (though in practice it
doesn’t matter if you use a different
train to the one you’re booked in –
it just means avoiding ticket queues)
and allow plenty of time.
FOOTY QUIZ
1. Jesse Lingard of Man Utd. 2. Plymouth Argyle 3. Tom
Heaton of Burnley (46) 4. Jack Wilshire (3) 5. Leicester,
Birmingham, Cardiff, Bradford, Swansea and Man City
6. Switzerland 7. Juventus 8. Flamingoland 9. Wigan
and Northern Ireland 10. Stuart Ripley
IF ENGLAND FINISH THIRD
I
T may be an easy walk
to the stadium, but as in
Marseille we again found
a lack of clear signage. Once
you’ve made your way to one
of the entrances, and through
the first ticket check, you
might well be confronted with
concrete steps – and a slowmoving queue.
Once at the top there are body
searches and then you’re on the
concourse, but we found this queuing very slow even without a huge
amount of people.
MUSIC QUIZ
1. The Housemartins 2. Chris Martin 3. Martin Kemp
4. ABC 5. Stirred not shaken 6. EastEnders 7. ‘Livin’ La
Vida Loca’ 8. Dean Martin 9. ‘Spanish Eyes’ 10. Martin
Luther King
PAGE 22
LOOKING AHEAD TO LILLE...
FSF helpline: +44 7956 121314
@FSF_FreeLions
SQUAD LISTS
SLOVAKIA SQUAD
ENGLAND SQUAD
GOALKEEPERS:
1. Jan MUCHA (Slovan Bratislava)
12. Jan NOVOTA (Rapid Vienna)
23. Matus KOZACIK (Viktoria Plzen)
GOALKEEPERS:
1. Joe HART (Manchester City)
13. Fraser FORSTER (Southampton)
23. Tom HEATON (Burnley)
DEFENDERS:
DEFENDERS:
2. Kyle WALKER (Tottenham Hotspur)
3. Danny ROSE (Tottenham Hotspur)
5. Gary CAHILL (Chelsea)
6. Chris SMALLING (Manchester United)
12. Nathaniel CLYNE (Liverpool)
16. John STONES (Everton)
21. Ryan BERTRAND (Southampton)
2.
3.
4.
5.
14.
15.
16.
17.
Peter PEKARIK (Hertha Berlin)
Martin SKRTEL (Liverpool)
Jan DURICA (Lokomotiv Moscow)
Norbert GYOMBER (Roma)
Milan SKRINIAR (Sampdoria)
Tomas HUBOCAN (Dinamo Moscow)
Kornel SALATA (Slovan Bratislava)
Dusan SVENTO (Cologne)
MIDFIELDERS:
6.
7.
8.
10.
13.
17.
19.
20.
22.
Jan GREGUS (Jablonec)
Vladimir WEISS (Al-Gharafa)
Ondrej DUDA (Legia Warsaw)
Miroslav STOCH (Bursaspor)
Patrik HROSOVSKY (Viktoria Plzen)
Marek HAMSIK (Napoli)
Juraj KUCKA (AC Milan)
Robert MAK (PAOK)
Viktor PECOVSKY (Zilina)
FORWARDS:
9. Stanislav SESTAK (Ferencvaros)
11. Adam NEMEC (Willem II)
21. Michal DURIS (Viktoria Plzen)
MIDFIELDERS:
4. James MILNER (Liverpool)
7. Raheem STERLING (Manchester City)
8. Adam LALLANA (Liverpool)
14. Jordan HENDERSON (Liverpool)
17. Eric DIER (Tottenham Hotspur)
18. Jack WILSHERE (Arsenal)
19. Ross BARKLEY (Everton)
20. Dele ALLI (Tottenham Hotspur)
FORWARDS:
9. Harry KANE (Tottenham Hotspur)
10. Wayne ROONEY (Manchester United)
11. Jamie VARDY (Leicester City)
15. Daniel STURRIDGE (Liverpool)
22. Marcus RASHFORD (Manchester United)
ONE TO W
WATCH
ATCH
Marek Hamsi
Hamsik – goalscoring playmaker
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to a digital copy of the Free Lions: Issue 147

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