England kicked off their World Cup campaign with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas, sparking hopes among fans that football might be coming home. Captain Harry Kane scored twice in what many are calling the most entertaining England performance in years.
Readers React to England's Win
Sophie from Manchester said: 'What a great win! That was the most entertaining England match I’ve seen for years – and “entertaining” isn’t normally a word I’d associate with the team. It all bodes well for the rest of the tournament. Dare I whisper, “Football might be coming home?” There’s a long way to go yet, of course, but Wednesday’s superb victory in Dallas offers plenty of hope for everyone back home.'
Richard Farrar from London added: 'England, you were fantastic. The best performance I’ve seen from an England team for a very long time. Treat yourselves to a glass of champagne. Just the one, though.'
Refereeing Standards at the World Cup
John Nightingale from Redbridge praised the refereeing at the tournament: 'The no-nonsense, let-the-game-flow standard adopted by the referees in this World Cup is a breath of fresh air. It highlights just how much work the Professional Game Match Officials Limited and its chief refereeing officer Howard Webb have to do for the UK game to catch up.'
Social Media Ban Debate
Alan from Greater Manchester expressed concern over the proposed social media ban for under-16s: 'The social media ban for under-16s will mean kids will be back on the streets again throwing stones at people’s windows and generally tormenting vulnerable adults. I’m a lonely bachelor and for years I was tormented virtually every night like that, with windows occasionally smashed. When Twitter came in, it all cleared up almost immediately.'
Sylvie Orp from Bromley added: 'I hope the government doesn’t think banning under-16s from social media is the end of the story. No, now the work begins to finally invest in our children by giving them fun, safe alternatives to their phones: youth clubs, sports clubs, singing, dancing and art, and more after-school activities. The next phase is to get adults off their phones. We have all seen a child try to get their parent to acknowledge their existence but the phone is much more important. There’s addiction right there.'
Immigration Debate
Paul from London responded to a previous letter from Rachel: 'Rachel says any Belfast rioters ending up in hospital “would rely on the very immigrants they were seeking to expel”. Ironically, she adds that people shouldn’t generalise and lump legal, hard-working migrants with illegal ones. So, as usual, those complaining about illegal immigration are lumped with the “we hate all immigrants” label when it isn’t the case. Those complaining recognise these are two entirely different groups and are not complaining about legal, skilled migrants. Rachel appears to be the one who doesn’t recognise the difference.'
Word Play
Christine from Wallasey challenged a previous reader: 'G Martin tells us the “point of origin of an earthquake” is not its “epicentre” – but doesn’t inform us what the word is. So, what is it? You can’t leave me wondering. Tell!'
