A July 4, 1990 file photo shows England player Paul Gascoigne crying as team captain Terry Butcher escorts him off the field after England lost on penalties in the World Cup semi-final against West Germany in Turin, Italy. (AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil, File)Roberto File/Canadian Press
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In the 1980s, Britain under Margaret Thatcher was a country in a state of tension, with industrial decline, social unrest, and political rifts evident. In such a situation, English football became a national issue rather than a point of pride. Stadiums collapsed, hooliganism spread and tragedies occurred in Bradford, Heysel and Hillsborough. This game felt like a relic, toxic, dangerous, and unloved. Then, in the summer of 1990, something changed.
This episode traces how the 1990 World Cup helped detoxify English football and rebuild national identity. We look at how an unlikely tournament became a cultural moment that ushered in Britpop on the radio, ‘Cool Britannia’ in the headlines and the Premier League era that followed. This is the story of a sport that rose from the rubble and a country that found a new way to love its national team.
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