‘I worry about unity’ – Southgate on St George’s flag

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate says he is “worried about unity” amid a debate about flying the St George’s flag.

A growing number of St George’s and union jack flags have appeared across England in recent months.

While some people feel the flag-raising is patriotic, others feel it is intimidating.

Southgate, who spent eight years in charge of the Three Lions, stepped down as manager following a Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain.

Though he failed to win silverware with England, he is widely recognised for uniting the country in support of the national side and has now written a book called Dear England: Lessons in Leadership.

On Monday, BBC Breakfast presenter Jon Kay asked Southgate for his opinion on the flags debate, saying: “Some people are proud of them. Some people are questioning the use of them in certain circumstances. What do you think of that flags debate in the context of what you think about patriotism?”

Southgate replied: “I worry about unity. I’ve seen what we did with the team [England] to unify every community.

“I do think there’s more that bonds us all than separates us. We should try and focus more on what brings us together than what separates us.”

Former England defender and Salford City co-owner Gary Neville recently criticised the “negative” display of the St George’s flag and said he had ordered the removal of a flag from a building site that he invests in.

Salford City’s League Two fixture against Oldham Athletic was delayed later that week when two pitch invaders attempted to place a St George’s flag inside the centre circle at the Peninsula Stadium.

Far-right group Britain First claimed responsibility for the incident, saying they “teamed up with local Salford patriots” to protest against the “treachery of Gary Neville”.

“At any time in history there will always be some disunity under the surface,” said Southgate.

“Life is economically tough for a lot of people so I understand why people are disaffected.

“Covid [the pandemic] was a good example where people did shopping for their neighbours, they rallied round one another, that’s what British spirit is about.”

Southgate, who was appointed England head coach in November 2016 after an interim spell, earned 57 caps for the Three Lions during his playing career.

The closest the defender came to silverware with the national side as a player was in 1996, when he missed a penalty in a semi-final shootout defeat by Germany at Wembley.

Asked about the importance of failing, Southgate said: “It’s one of the certainties of life that things are going to go wrong for you. What I learned from 1996 is that I failed to execute a skill under pressure and that I needed to be better prepared.

“When I went to bed that night I remember thinking: ‘I don’t know how I’ll ever get over this.’

“The whole country was on this carnival of football in 1996 and heading to the final, and I was responsible for us going out.

“But you step outside the house the next day and slowly get over it. People weren’t shy of reminding me about it when I played at opposition grounds but there’s always a way through these things and you have to find that strength to come through it.”