England fans have been seen soaking up the sun and sipping pints in Cologne today ahead of tonight’s Euros clash against Slovenia.
Topless supporters booted footballs into the air in the city’s old cobbled Alter Markt square this afternoon as temperatures reached 30C on what is expected to be the hottest night of the tournament so far.
Sipping pints and chatting to one another, England’s army of support were readying themselves for the Three Lions’ final group game as Gareth Southgate’s men look to get back to winning ways after drawing 1-1 with Denmark on Thursday.
But while fans packed out Cologne’s pubs, mass amounts of booze mixed with the sweltering heat has already proved to be too much for some with one fan being pictured asleep on a table.
In Alter Markt square, friends Jack Regan and Liam Lane, both 32, were drinking the atmosphere in, as well as their Pilsners, as they wandered across the cobbles. The pair flew in from Bristol via Amsterdam for the game – and paid £300 each for their tickets.
They said they spent half-an-hour painting their bare chests in front of a mirror before heading out on the town, but aircraft engineer Liam said: ‘It’s so hot we’ve already had to touch it up once’.
Jack, who works in the renewable energy sector, added: ‘It’s a beautiful city. Everyone’s having a good time and the police are playing it brilliantly – they’re letting people get on with having fun and there is no trouble.’
As they spoke, make-up artist Jasmine Zelenko, 42, led a band of fellow Slovenians through the square.
Ms Zelenko lives outside Cologne, but met up with her countrymen and women, many of whom were relatives, in the city this morning. Confident of victory tonight, she said: ‘We will win for sure – England have been playing badly and we are better than you think we are.’
The Slovenian then posed for a picture with England fan Dave Smith, 58, from Oldham, who has been in Germany with son Robson, 12, and named after legendary England captain Bryan Robson.
Mr Smith was equally confident about England’s prospects and said: ‘We have got a really good route to the final. We’ve had a poor start but we just need to settle down and play the way we knew we can play.’
Around the corner, Josh Buggelm and girlfriend Kat Keipert walked by in England shirts – and both speaking German.
Mr Buggelm was born to an English mother and German father and spent his early years in Wilmslow, Cheshire, until the age of six, when the family moved to Cologne.
He met his girlfriend at medical school but both have tickets for the game in the England end tonight.
‘I’m just hoping England don’t get Germany in the round-of-16, Mr Buggelm, 30, a doctor, said. In England I am always the German and in Germany I’m always the Englishman. But if the two sides meet, I’ll be supporting England.’
Ms Keipert, 31, agreed, saying that while she usually supports Germany, if the nations meet in a head-to-head, ‘then I will have to support England because it was Josh that got me into football in the first place’.
Jamie Whittaker, from Sheffield, sipped her beer and said: ‘The heat is going to play a big factor tonight. It is going to be something that the team hasn’t had to face before. We haven’t really been playing as fast on the pitches as we can, so I hope the temperatures don’t make them even slower.
‘We have to go all out for victory. If we finish second in the group, we might have to play Germany next so we have to avoid that.
‘But it is wonderful to be here in Germany on this day. The Germans have been nothing but hospitable.’
Friend Neil Saxton, son of former Blackburn Rovers manager Bobby, added: ‘We have hired a house here in Cologne and we’ve had barbecues, cold beers and now we’ve got the sunshine. All we need is for England to win tonight.’
Cameron Dickson, 50, from Carlisle, said: ‘It is hot, but we have got a great team. We’ve got a squad of tremendous individual players, but they really need to come together tonight against Slovenia. I’m confident that we can do it.’
Publican Jamie Cadenhead, 43, from Red Dial near Wigton, added: ‘England have the best supporters and we don’t mind paying a lot of money to get behind them.
‘It will be an incredible atmosphere tonight and let’s hope the boys get inspired by us, don’t get put off by the weather, and go for it.’
Angela Jellicoe, a receptionist from Chelmsford, said: ‘I love this heat. We were in Frankfurt and the weather was dreadful over the few days.
‘I hope the team can overcome the temperature tonight and play their best game. We are all behind them.’
Her husband Richard, a Queens Park Rangers fan, added: ‘This is England’s chance to show how good they are. I hope the criticism they received for the first two games will drive them on.’
Ryan Daffin, 30, from Sheffield, said: ‘I hope the noise in the stadium from the fans is deafening and we all get behind the team.’
West Ham fan Corral Blundell, 63, from Newport Pagnall, said: ‘It’s a lovely day and the atmosphere is just brilliant.’
Her partner Simon Davies, 64, raised his beer glass and added: ‘This is to Harry Kane and the team. We are right behind them.’
England fans drank into the early hours, but police reported no trouble or arrests.
Helen Gaffey, who was wearing a white England shirt, said: ‘We all love the warmth but I hope the players can deal with it and the Slovenian team too. We need to win this cup and win it in style.’
Tens of thousands of supporters have descended on the west German city and headed straight to the bars to sample its famous kolsch.
The cold ale – which originated in the 2,000-year-old city – is traditionally served in 200ml glasses, nearly the third the size of a UK pint glass.
Some England fans have bemoaned the smaller vessels as ‘it’s gone in three sips’.
But the measly portions aren’t dampening spirits ahead of tonight’s Euro clash at the Cologne Stadium at 8pm, with Gareth Southgate’s men having already safely secured their spot in the last-16 after Albania’s 1-0 defeat against Spain last night.
Three Lions supporters drank lagers and went through their full repertoire of football anthems, including ‘Don’t take me home’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’ in the picturesque squares of the city’s Alter Markt.
Londoners Daniel Burton and Liam Terrington – both aged 23 – were two of the English fans sampling the kolsch who were left unimpressed by the glass sizes.
By German law, Kolsch beer can be brewed only in Cologne.
A notably fruity, light ale, it’s pretty much the only draft beer you’ll find in the city.
The Cologne Brewery Association, also known as the Kolsch Konvention, ensure that kolsch is brewed according to a particular recipe.
The beer is traditionally served in 200ml glasses known as a Stange within the city’s famous beer halls to ensure it remains cool and carbonated.
‘It’s alright but it’s gone in three sips – you could even shot it,’ Mr Burton told The Telegraph.
Mr Terrington said he would prefer a ‘normal serving’ as he added: ‘It is a shock, we are ordering more rounds quicker.’
Pierre Hazel, 52, a marketing director, from Brighton and his two sons Alex, 21, a student, and Felix, 19, weren’t too bothered about the ‘small’ glasses as they thought it was nice drinking it slower in the scorching heat.
Mr Hazel said: ‘If you’ve got a big litre in this heat by the time you get halfway through it’s all warm – but this is fresh and cold.’
It appears any fears of an alcohol shortage have been put to bed after warnings were sounded that a cellars in a number of bars and pubs in the city were left empty after Scotland’s clash with Switzerland last week, according to The Sun.
A manager at an Irish bar in the city revealed the Tartan Army had polished off their entire supply.
‘The Scotland fans drank everything – beer, Guinness and vodka,’ he said. ‘Our cellar was emptied.
‘It was the same at other bars, with record beer sales – even more than carnival.’
‘Now we’re all now trying to get more deliveries from breweries to get drinks for England fans.’
Meanwhile a staff member at a neighbouring establishment revealed they too are frantically attempting to restock for the incoming England supporters.
‘The Scotland fans showed us how much they could drink,’ they added.
‘Our supplies are low and we need more beer so the England fans don’t miss out.’
Some England fanatics were joined on Sunday night by a group of Slovenians in celebrating the end of Scotland’s Euro journey after the Tartan Army lost 1-0 to Hungary.
The two sets of football fans belted out the chants ‘Scotland’s going home and England’s on the p***’ as well as ‘Scotland go home’ in jubilant scenes after the Auld Enemy suffered another early tournament exit.
Yesterday, England supporters downed pints in the blazing Cologne sunshine which shone on the many bars and restaurants lining the pleasant old quarter of the city.
While the scenes in the city remained largely good-natured during a day where thousands of fans descended on pubs and drank litres of beer, some fans provided a sour note by chanting unsavoury songs.
A rendition of ‘Ten German Bombers’ could be heard on the streets while a couple of fans waved a World War II-era RAF plane.
Three Lions supporters have been warned by German police not to sing the song with a clear message: ‘Don’t be a d***!’
There are fears that it could be frequently heard at the Euros and despite the warning of German authorities, they are powerless to stop it.
The England side have faced criticism from supporters and ex-players after a dismal 1-1 draw to Denmark on Thursday.
Gary Lineker was one of several prominent media figures to slam the showing, branding the performance ‘s***’ on The Rest is Football, a podcast he hosts and owns through his Goalhanger production company.
Speaking ahead of England’s final group game against Slovenia, captain Harry Kane hit back and insisted former England players should think twice before commenting on the team.
The England captain also suggested an ulterior motive behind some of the negative reaction, with members of the media using it to ‘promote their own channels’ because they ‘want the most views’.
Tonight’s clash has got bosses on high alert for a wave of workers calling in sick , as the heatwave coincides with England’s final Euros group-stage game.
HR experts said the likelihood of people calling in sick was far higher with today’s temperatures set to be the highest recorded this year.
‘Generally, most people are sensible, I would say, but obviously you can’t control everyone, so especially if it’s the hottest day of the year, then it wouldn’t surprise me if some people decide to take a day off’, Farzana Parkar, founder of Face2FaceHR, told the Guardian.
It comes as health warnings were activated across England today as summer finally arrived with the first heatwave of the year and temperatures soaring to 31C (88F) this week.
The yellow heat health alert was issued by the UK Health Security Agency and Met Office for most of England, with all but the North East included in the warning.
The alert came into force this morning as forecasters said the country would see mostly dry weather with ‘plenty of sunny spells’ and a maximum of 28C (82F).
Hot weather will build throughout this week with Wednesday likely to hit 30C (86F) and Thursday getting to 31C (88F) – before the health alert expires that afternoon.