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The England fan who flew a 'White Lives Matter' banner during a Premier League game in 2020 was behind the vile Diego Maradona flag that has caused controversy in Italy.
Burnley fan Jack Hepple has a history of controversial behaviour and prepared a flag with the words 'Diego's in a box' for a visit to the Stadio Diego Armanda Mardona on Thursday (March 23). England beat Italy 2-1, but the fan was not in attendance.
The Clarets fan had his match ticket cancelled by the FA when the flag was spotted in a picture ahead of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier. He has a prior history of pulling off such acts.
He organised a plane to fly over Manchester City's Etihad Stadium during a Premier League clash between the Cityzens and Burnley in 2020. A banner was released from the plane donning the words: 'White Lives Matter'. That was a response to the English top tier introducing the All Lives Matter initiative, with players taking a knee before each game. He was sacked by his employer for the ordeal.
The Burnley fan was also previously pictured with English Defence League (EDL) leader Tommy Robinson and Andy 'Nightmare' Frain. The latter is a convicted Chelsea headhunter hooligan and former Klu Klux Klan member, per the Daily Star. Hepple allegedly has links to Burnley hooligan firm The Suicide Squad, whose members claim to have funded the 'White Lives Matter' banner and plane flight.
The FA released a statement following the emergence of the flag before England's qualifier against Italy in Naples:
"We strongly condemn the actions of the individual who travelled to Naples with a flag that had a highly offensive message on it. We immediately took steps to have their tickets cancelled before the match. The matter will be reviewed further when we return to England."
England defender Harry Maguire thinks it will be a failure if team fail to win UEFA Euro 2024
England came the closest they have ever come to winning a trophy since 1966 at the previous Euros in 2021. They suffered a heartbreaking 3-2 penalty shootout defeat to Italy in the final at Wembley after a 1-1 draw in regulation time.
The Three Lions followed that up with an admirable performance at the 2022 FIFA World Cup. However, they crashed out in the quarterfinals to eventual runners-up France.
Maguire is a mainstay in Gareth Southgate's side and featured in the win over Italy on Thursday. He says that if England fail to win the European Championships next year, it will be deemed a failure. He said (via RTE):
"I think for me, at my age as well, 30 years old now and I'm with a mindset of, 'if we don't win the tournament, it's been a failure'."
Maguire continued by admitting that he's enjoying a prominent role in the Three Lions side, which isn't the case at club level with Manchester United:
"For England, yes, I do. Obviously, last season was difficult for the club but listen, I've proven myself to Gareth, who works with a wide range of centre-backs."
