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England Lunches World Cup 2006 Fans Campaign

England is set to show the world, and particularly Germany, that the English football fans are not the hooligans they are considered to be. A special campaign was lunched on February 28 in Liverpool titled "All Together Now 2006." The campaign was lunched by England captain David Beckham, midfielder Steven Gerrard and coach Sven-Goran Eriksson, all of whom called on fans at the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany? to create and maintain a friendly and sporting atmosphere.

All Together Now 2006 is based on a similar campaign launched in the run-up to the 2004 UEFA European Championship, a tournament which ended with UEFA explicitly praising England supporters for their contribution to the carnival atmosphere in Portugal. "England fans are the best supporters in the world," said Beckham. "No other country gets the support we do, especially at big tournaments. The fans can really help the team by giving us positive, passionate support."

Ray Clemence, the former England goalkeeper who is now the squad`s goalkeeping coach, visited Cologne, one of the FIFA World Cup host cities last week to promote the All Together Now 2006 initiative. "What we want to show,? explained Clemence, "is that England fans` unique passion can contribute positively to the atmosphere and the event as a whole."