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UK's sole English Uruguay fan may have to watch World Cup clash alone Uruguay's one English fan may have to watch World Cup clash alone
(35 minutes later)
Is this the face of the only English Uruguayan fan in the UK? It is entirely possible. When the whistle blows for England's crunch match against the South American team on Thursday David Grey will be wearing his Uruguayan strip, with Suárez on the back, in a Latin American restaurant. Probably on his own. Is this the face of the only English Uruguay fan in the UK? It is entirely possible. When the whistle blows for England's crunch match against the South American team on Thursday David Grey will be wearing his Uruguayan strip, with Suárez on the back, in a Latin American restaurant. Probably on his own.
The 58-year-old, who has developed a love for Uruguay based on Luis Suárez and the leftist ideals of the country's former guerilla president, José Mujica, has done his best to rally a crowd – setting up a group on the Meet Up website and posting his plans on Facebook – but is yet to have any success.The 58-year-old, who has developed a love for Uruguay based on Luis Suárez and the leftist ideals of the country's former guerilla president, José Mujica, has done his best to rally a crowd – setting up a group on the Meet Up website and posting his plans on Facebook – but is yet to have any success.
"I have been joking on Facebook that I support Uruguay, and I've taken on a kind of alternative identity – so when England and Uruguay were drawn in the same World Cup I decided to put my money where my mouth is and declare myself as an out-and-out fan, wanting them to win rather than England," he said."I have been joking on Facebook that I support Uruguay, and I've taken on a kind of alternative identity – so when England and Uruguay were drawn in the same World Cup I decided to put my money where my mouth is and declare myself as an out-and-out fan, wanting them to win rather than England," he said.
But his call for fellow fans to join him in south London on Meet Up – with the rallying cry of "Watch Uruguay beat England" – has so far received no replies. "I totally screwed up – nobody has joined yet. I left it far too late, and I should have written it all in Spanish," he said. "I should also have cross-promoted it via other platforms and done a bit more research on where Uruguayans in London hang out. But as far as I know there aren't any. I think I will be the only Englishman supporting Uruguay. I'll be in a bar with hundreds of Colombians from the early game, and I'll just be the gringo loco on his own. "But his call for fellow fans to join him in south London on Meet Up – with the rallying cry of "Watch Uruguay beat England" – has so far received no replies. "I totally screwed up – nobody has joined yet. I left it far too late, and I should have written it all in Spanish," he said. "I should also have cross-promoted it via other platforms and done a bit more research on where Uruguayans in London hang out. But as far as I know there aren't any. I think I will be the only Englishman supporting Uruguay. I'll be in a bar with hundreds of Colombians from the early game, and I'll just be the gringo loco on his own. "
Grey, a psychotherapist by training and contrarian by nature, says his love for the Uruguay team stems from his teenage admiration of their "dirty play and dirty tricks" and a regard for a country run by an unreconstructed Marxist. He is also, unsurprisingly, a Liverpool fan. "[Uruguay] is a very small nation – 3.5 million people – yet they have won the World Cup twice and are current South American champions, ahead of Brazil and Argentina," he said. "They have a battling philosophy, summed up in the phrase 'La Garra Charrua' – it amounts to how, being the underdog, you should do pretty much anything it takes to win against the odds."Grey, a psychotherapist by training and contrarian by nature, says his love for the Uruguay team stems from his teenage admiration of their "dirty play and dirty tricks" and a regard for a country run by an unreconstructed Marxist. He is also, unsurprisingly, a Liverpool fan. "[Uruguay] is a very small nation – 3.5 million people – yet they have won the World Cup twice and are current South American champions, ahead of Brazil and Argentina," he said. "They have a battling philosophy, summed up in the phrase 'La Garra Charrua' – it amounts to how, being the underdog, you should do pretty much anything it takes to win against the odds."
A perennially underachieving England side didn't help. "I have come to loathe many aspects of English football, and am scathing about the regular underperformance of the England team," he explained. "They are all paid a fortune but regularly do worse than teams from smaller countries. We have a culture of greed and complacency. The opposite of Garra Charrua."A perennially underachieving England side didn't help. "I have come to loathe many aspects of English football, and am scathing about the regular underperformance of the England team," he explained. "They are all paid a fortune but regularly do worse than teams from smaller countries. We have a culture of greed and complacency. The opposite of Garra Charrua."
But, having seen England's encouraging performance against Italy – in which no fewer than five Liverpool players were in the starting line-up – Grey has had his first inkling that he may have backed the wrong horse. "If Uruguay kick the hell out of England, or Suárez dives for a penalty, it could be challenging. And for the first time they are actually playing well and the team is dominated by Liverpool players, while Uruguay didn't put up a good show against Costa Rica, so I am a bit torn," he said.But, having seen England's encouraging performance against Italy – in which no fewer than five Liverpool players were in the starting line-up – Grey has had his first inkling that he may have backed the wrong horse. "If Uruguay kick the hell out of England, or Suárez dives for a penalty, it could be challenging. And for the first time they are actually playing well and the team is dominated by Liverpool players, while Uruguay didn't put up a good show against Costa Rica, so I am a bit torn," he said.
"It might be that I've jumped ship just at the wrong time. Ah well, story of my life.""It might be that I've jumped ship just at the wrong time. Ah well, story of my life."