England can help heal terror wounds: Southgate

Burton-on-Trent (United Kingdom) (AFP) – The England football team have a “responsibility” to help people move on with their lives following last week’s deadly terror attack in Manchester, manager Gareth Southgate said on Tuesday.

Tributes were paid to the 22 victims of the suicide attack at Manchester Arena at several sporting events in the United Kingdom last weekend, including Sunday’s FA Cup final between Arsenal and Chelsea.

Southgate believes it is important for teams like England to send out a message that the country will not be cowed by terrorism.

“Our thoughts are definitely with the victims of Manchester and their families,” Southgate told a press conference at England’s national training base in Burton-on-Trent, central England.

“We’re conscious there’s that balance of sport and life at this moment in time.

“From our point of view, one of the messages we have to give is that as a national football team, we have to keep working and keep showing that things like this won’t affect us as a country.

“We’re respectful of those who’ve lost their lives and their families, but we also recognise that the right message towards terrorism is to keep doing what you’re doing and to keep working in the way that you normally work.

“It’s not easy for anybody, but we feel a responsibility to do that and we feel it’s our duty as a national team to do that.”

England play Scotland in a World Cup qualifying match in Glasgow on June 10 before facing France in a friendly in Paris three days later.