SLOVENIAN bar owner Tomaz Rojina has a baseball bat ready for the England game – but that has nothing to do with football hooligans.
It’s because Tomaz, 61, has decked his drinking establishment in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana in the cross of St George and will wear a Wayne Rooney shirt for the crunch Euros match tonight.
MirrorpixTomaz says England will always be number one in his eyes[/caption]
MirrorpixThe pub has the England crest outside and serves British ales[/caption]
MirrorpixThe last time Tomaz showed support for England over Slovenia he received a fire threat to his business[/caption]
England play Slovenia in the final group match, with both teams needing at least one point in order to guarantee qualification for the knockout stage of the competition in Germany.
It is the second time the two nations have come up against each other in a major tournament, with the Three Lions defeating the Balkan minnows 1-0 in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.
When Tomaz declared his support for his country’s rivals back then, he received a threat to set fire to his business.
His devotion to England, though, remains unbowed.
Tomaz tells The Sun: “Deep in my heart I am an Englishman. I have been in England a lot of times, but I was born in Slovenia.
“I always wear the England shirt, I don’t have anything else to wear. All of my shirts are England.”
The fan, whose bar is called the England Pub, has 15 shirts with Wayne Rooney’s name on the back and another 15 with David Beckham’s inscribed.
A draw on Tuesday night would certainly see Harry Kane and co keep their hopes of winning the cup alive and might just be enough for Slovenia as well.
Defeat, though, would almost certainly end the dreams of Tomaz’s fellow two million citizens.
For that reason he says: “My heart is bleeding because I also support Slovenia, but my first choice is the England team. The best score for me, maybe, will be 1 against 1. In that case both teams will qualify for the next round.
“But I think England will win 2-0.”
Tomaz is a proper England fan, having gone to watch the team play 30 times, including at Wembley Stadium and Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground.
His pub has the England crest on the outside, serves British ales and photos of the late Queen Elizabeth II hand on the wall alongside Sir Winston Churchill.
Man Utd fan Tomaz was warned not to cheer for England last time round.
He reveals: “When England played Slovenia in South Africa, someone on the internet, and they didn’t have the guts to come to me, wrote that he was going to burn up the England stuff.
“But this did not happen.”
Tomaz is not worried about Slovenian ultras trashing his friendly pub on Tuesday, even if England win.
He continues: “In Ljubljana I am not afraid of anybody. There is not a problem with hooligans here. The Slovenian fans are not hooligans.
“All the games we watch together with the England fans, there is no trouble.
“Just in case I buy a baseball bat.”
Tomaz’s love affair with all things British began in 1990 when he first visited London.
He explains: “When I came out in Westminster from the underground, I felt at home. I cannot explain it. I am always glad to go to England.
“All of the traditions, all of the old buildings.”
The father-of-two is a Manchester United fan and also supports the United Kingdom’s other nations.
He cheered on Scotland on Sunday night and was disappointed to see them get knocked out of the Euros.
Tomaz says: “I only support one team in England, it is Man Utd. In England I follow the premier league.
“When British clubs play in Europe I support them. I also support Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland and Wales.”
England are currently top of group C having beaten Serbia 1-0 and drawn 1-1 with Denmark.
But Southgate’s team have not been on their best form and fans have been critical of his cautious approach.
Tomaz thinks they will come good.
He concludes: “Before Southgate’s England play very very well, but lately, in the recent friendlies and now in the Euros, we play like when we were managed by Sven Goran Eriksson, we score first goal and then wait for the game to finish.
“I think tomorrow until the end will be much better.”
MirrorpixPics on the wall feature the likes of the late Queen Elizabeth II and Sir Winston Churchill[/caption]
MirrorpixThe pub sticks out like a sore thumb on a street in Slovenia’s capital[/caption]
MirrorpixTomaz’s place is called the ‘England Pub’[/caption]