An England supporter sparked a major security scare by storming
into the team's dressing room to rant at Fabio Capello and his
players after their World Cup goalless draw with Algeria.
The intruder, wearing an England shirt, burst in just a few
minutes before Prince William and Prince Harry were due to meet the
players, and had to be talked out of the room by David Beckham.
Screen shot: Furious Rooney rants at the
camera
Moments earlier, Wayne Rooney had snapped at fans as he marched
from the pitch and snar led a foul -mouthed message down the lens
of a television camera.
'Nice to see your own fans booing you,' a furious Rooney could
be heard to say. 'That's what loyal support is - for ****'s
sake.'
It was a chaotic and fractious night all round for Capello and
his team as they stumbled to a draw against the unfancied North
Africans, who are at their first World Cup for 24 years and ranked
30 in the world.
'The fans can decide to do what they prefer,' said the manager,
who criticised his players and claimed they were stifled by fear.
'I didn't hear the boos because of the vuvuzelas.'
Point and shout: But Fabio Capello was unable to
galvanise his side
The FA will lodge a formal complaint to FIFA today about the
security lapse at the Green Point Stadium.
England were disappointing against the USA in Rustenburg last
Saturday and worse still last night against the Algerians.
A win against Slovenia on Wednesday will still be enough to
qualify for the last 16 - they could even top the group - but they
will be without Jamie Carragher, who collected his second booking
in one-and-a-half games and will miss the game in Port
Elizabeth.
Prospects would have been even worse had the USA not fought back
from two down to draw against Slovenia earlier yesterday, as Ashley
Cole acknowledged later.
'We were lucky the USA got a draw,' he said.
Former England boss Graham Taylor said on BBC Radio that he
feared Capello's team may not even get out of the group and raised
doubts about the harmony in the camp.
No cutting edge: Steven Gerrard failed to sparkle
on the left
'I do now believe there's a real danger of England going out,'
said Taylor. 'There's something not right behind the scenes. I
don't know what it is. I have an idea; I don't believe the proper
preparatory work is being done. Look at the body language:
something's wrong.'
Goalkeeper David James replaced Rob Green, axed after his
dreadful mistake against the USA, and he offered a prickly response
when asked about Capello's theory that the team were playing with
fear.
Glum faces: England supporters show their
displeasure in Cape Town
Message: An England fan's memo to Fabio
Capello
'I don't know why he said that,' said James. 'It was more
frustration than fear. Algeria just didn't want to lose. We can
recover, without a doubt.'
Rooney's form will worry Capello, but John Terry said: 'There is
no pressure on Wayne. He does what he does and is one of the best
in the world for it. Obviously Wayne is frustrated. Everybody in
the dressing-room is feeling the same as Wayne. I would ask the
fans to stay behind us. We need them fully behind us. It is in our
hands.'