Wed. Jul 3rd, 2024
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GARETH SOUTHGATE was given an incredible send-off as he departed St George’s Park for Qatar.

The England manager was greeted by a sea of screaming kids waving flags and cheering him on.

Gareth Southgate high fived the adoring England fans cheering him on2

Gareth Southgate high fived the adoring England fans cheering him onCredit: Twitter / @England
He was giving an amazing reception as he waved goodbye before heading to Qatar2

He was giving an amazing reception as he waved goodbye before heading to QatarCredit: Twitter / @England

Many reached out to Southgate and he began high-fiving the children, leaving some ecstatic by doing so.

With the crowd stretched out so far he had to wave to the others before boarding the coach to the airport.

Southgate and the England squad were also given a royal send-off by Prince William.

The Prince of Wales presented each member of the team with their squad numbers at St George’s Park before sharing a message of support and telling the squad to enjoy the tournament.

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The squad also attended a Nike Town event on Monday and they were all smiles as they posed for the camera.

James Maddison and Declan Rice were seen arm in arm enjoying themselves, as were Bukayo Saka and Jack Grealish.

England will fly out to the Middle East later today ahead of their first World Cup fixture on November 21.

They will do so on board “Rain Bow”, a Virgin Atlantic A350 Airbus that promotes Gay Pride.

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It features a motif of Oscar — the airline’s LGBTQ+ Union Jack-trailing flying icon — beneath the cabin.

The gesture was proposed by FA chiefs keen to register concern about gay rights in the strict Muslim state where homosexuality can still carry the death penalty.

Southgate has vowed to make a stand.

He said: “We’re very strong on inclusivity. We understand the challenges that this tournament brings . . . the human rights challenges.”

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