It wasn’t Harry Kane or Raheem Sterling who helped England beat Denmark with a controversial penalty.
According to a conspiracy theory in Italy, the congratulations should instead go to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Some Italian fans claim that Uefa, the governing body of football in Europe, favours England and is helping them to win the Euro 2020 tournament, because Boris Johnson intervened to block the creation of the proposed Super League, which would have been a rival to UEFA’s Champions League.
The disputed extra time penalty against Denmark was proof that UEFA was on England’s side, said somewho took to social media to claim that England’s victory in the tournament was therefore a foregone conclusion.
The theory was taken up by Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy’s most influential sports newspaper.
The newspaper said: “The very generous penalty, which allowed Southgate’s team to beat Denmark confirms the suspicions about the exchange of favours with Boris Johnson, considered the savior of European football after the attack on the Superleague.”
After Johnson vowed to block English football teams from competing in the new breakaway league, Aleksander Ceferin, the president of UEFA praised the UK government saying he was "impressed by their efficiency”.
One Italy fan tweeted: “England blatantly favoured by uefa and ceferin, They played all the games at home apart from one…they have referees on their side."
Another Twitter user wrote: “England is dangerous not so much for technical reasons, but for other components: they play at home, the referees treat them with kid gloves and Ceferin is on their side after the superleague issue.”
UEFA told The Independent the claims were “utter nonsense”.
