Gareth Southgate slams 'embarrassing' England fans after clashes with police mar Nations League

Gareth Southgate slammed the English supporters who clashed with Porto police on Wednesday night, insisting the England team do not associate themselves with those involved.

A group of supporters threw bottles at riot police at a fan park in the city centre during Portugal's game against Switzerland on Wednesday before video footage emerged of altercations between supporters and police outside the ground in Guimaraes where England lost in extra time to the Netherlands the following night.

Ahead of the tournament, the FA had launched the 'Don't be That Idiot' campaign to deter anti-social behaviour. While the majority of the near 20,000 who have travelled to Portugal have done so without issue, those who have disturbed the city were branded an "embarrassment" by the governing body, a sentiment echoed by the England manager.

"I haven't seen it [the footage] but I am aware of it," Southgate told reporters on Thursday night.

"The saddest thing for me is we have thousands upon thousands of fans who come here and support us brilliantly and have the ability to enjoy themselves without causing offence to anyone else.

Tthen we have a group who are an embarrassment. As an Englishman, they are not supporters of the team. They reflect so poorly on us as a country and we don't associate ourselves with them at all."

In the game itself, England were punished by individual errors, most notably from John Stones, as they tried to play out from the back against the Dutch. Southgate dismissed criticism of the approach, insisting his side would not have reached two semi-finals inside a year without playing this way.

He added: "I am asking them to play in a way which puts them under huge pressure at the back," he added. "If we didn't play that way we would never get to the semi-finals and never progressed as a top team."

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