England fans have been filmed on Moscow’s Red Square chanting in reference to the English Royal Air Force (RAF) shooting down German war planes in World War II.
The supporters were gathered in a bar on the Russian capital’s iconic Red Square singing the song ‘10 German bombers’ about the shooting down of Nazi war planes, while waving inflatable planes.
Elsewhere, fans were also filmed singing the song on nearby Nikolskaya Street, which has become the de facto meeting point for fans during the World Cup; this time inflatable planes were replaced by arm salutes signaling aircrafts.
Crowds gathered in Moscow’s center on Wednesday ahead of the World Cup semi-final match between England and Croatia at Luzhniki Stadium in the city.
The chant has been described as “vile” by UK media, and England fans were criticized for singing the song at friendly with Germany in Dortmund in March last year.
The footage of England fans again singing the song, this time in Moscow, was met with a similar reaction online from England fans and rivals supporters alike.
Following England’s 2-1 group stage victory over Tunisia in Volgograd, the site of a major WWII conflict – the Battle of Stalingrad – England fans were filmed in a local bar giving Nazi salutes and singing a Hitler song in a bar in the Russian city.
READ MORE: English fan gets football ban after giving Nazi salute in city of Stalingrad battle
British police and the Football Association launched a joint investigation after the footage emerged online showing English fans performing Nazi salutes, shouting “Sieg Heil” and singing songs glorifying the Third Reich. One of those fans was subsequently hit with a football banning order that barred him from attending games for five years by a UK court.