England players’ families showered with beer at Euros after being caught in Gareth Southgate crossfire

Gareth Southgate had the cups thrown in his direction just after the final whistle at Cologne Stadium, with the England manager saying afterwards he would take criticism and players should not be targeted.

Some of their families, though, ended up inadvertently soaked in beer as fans threw cups after a goalless draw followed disappointing displays against Serbia and Denmark in Group C.

Photos have emerged of the section of the stadium for families, with some upset at the missiles being thrown from the upper tier.

Southgate spoke afterwards over fears England players could end up not enjoying international call-ups. He held a meeting after the win over Serbia to talk about the scrutiny they are under, after criticism despite a victory. And after the draw against Denmark there was further fall-out after BBC presenter Gary Lineker called the display “s—” on a podcast.

England midfielder Jude Bellingham says the negative reaction is from a minority and that the support inside the stadium gave him energy to finish the game against Slovenia.

“You draw on them for energy towards the end of games,” he said on the Lions Den show. “At the end of the last game I was absolutely dead but you hear them singing and chanting. You can play at a level not at our best, which can happen but the important thing is when you are wearing the badge, representing the fans. to not give up. It is a constant reminder of that.

“I know there is a lot of negativity outside the stadium and the camp but I feel when you get inside the stadium it is so different. It is important as team-mates and a team we remember the ones in the stadium are the ones that are going to give us the energy so don’t worry about the ones that aren’t there. We have to use that energy and that feeling we get from them to be successful in this tournament.”