The boss of a wholesale company in Dorset who bought thousands of England World Cup winner shirts says he is facing a "major loss" after the side's defeat against France in the quarter finals.
The England team, which has now returned home from Qatar, crashed out of the tournament at the weekend after being beaten 2-1, with captain Harry Kane missing a penalty in the 84th minute. There are now just four teams left to play - France, Morocco, Croatia and Argentina - before the winner is announced.
Following the team's loss, Kane wrote on Twitter: "We've given it everything and it's come down to a small detail which I take responsibility for. There's no hiding from it, it hurts and it'll take some time to get over it but that's part of sport. Now it's about using the experience to be mentally and physically stronger for the next challenge. Thanks for all the support throughout the tournament - it means a lot."
The news of England's defeat came as a particularly massive blow to the boss of a Poole-based company, who was so confident in manager Gareth Southgate's side winning he purchased 18,000 football shirts to sell ahead of the quarter final, celebrating England as the World Cup 2022 winners.
Karl Baxter, who is managing director of Wholesale Clearance UK - a British wholesaler, supplying goods to trade and the public - had been adamant the shirts would "go down a storm" with England football supporters, and insisted that while the move was slightly premature, he believed the England squad could go all the way.
“I’m absolutely gutted that England has been knocked out of the World Cup," he said. "I have been really impressed with England's performance in Qatar and was sure they would win this year’s tournament. When approached by a supplier to sell the shirts, I simply couldn't say no."
Mr Baxter was planning to sell the red, white and blue football shirts, which read ‘England Cup Winners 2022, It’s Finally Home', for £29.99 each. But now the side is out, the wholesaler is desperately trying to flog the merchandise for £9.99 instead. As a result of discounting the shirts, Wholesale Clearance said it could lose out on £360,000.
"I’ve been left with 18,000 shirts that say they’ve won – and I’m not sure what to do," Mr Baxter added. “I’d like to appeal to England fans to purchase one of the shirts, to keep it as a piece of history and a reminder of how well our team played throughout the tournament. While they haven’t won, they are still winners in my eyes.”
Southgate has said he will "review and reflect" before deciding whether to carry on in his role following England's defeat, according to the BBC. The England manager, who was appointed in 2016, oversaw England reaching the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and the side's first European Championship final last year.
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