Dad and son on opposing sides set for England-Slovakia clash

Richard Bowcott and his son Daniel Bowcott, ready to cheer on their teams

A father and son will be flying two different flags this weekend as England get ready to take on Slovakia in their knock-out Euro 2024 match.

Daniel Bowcott, who is half-Slovakian, said he would be supporting "underdogs" Slovakia in honour of his mother's heritage.

His dad Richard Bowcott, who runs a Czech and Slovak community centre in Birmingham with his wife Dana Klamparova, said he would be cheering on England.

The pair, from Birmingham, said they would be watching the game together in a pub as it kicks off at 17:00 BST on Sunday.

'Eternal optimist'

Daniel told BBC Radio WM the reason he supports Slovakia is because they are not expected to win.

"My mum's Slovak, so I'm half Slovak, and the type of football they play is very entertaining to watch - we always try and score a goal," he said.

"I'm feeling a bit stressed for Sunday because England do still have big players who can perform at the highest levels which will really threaten us."

The 16-year-old said he was still "very proud" to be English, and if England got through to the next round, he said he would still "love to see England win the Euros".

He added: "I love an underdog beating a team that is bigger than them and is expected to win.

"This is the furthest Slovakia have got in any competition - we've not progressed past the round of 16.

"This is our final and all of our players are going to be playing at 110 per cent."

Richard said the pair planned to watch the match in a pub together with Dana at the end of the phone.

He said: "I'll give [Daniel] a poke in the rib if Slovakia score."

Speaking about England's below-par performance so far, he said: "It can't get any worse, but I'm the eternal optimist.

"I'm confident it will be extra time - I just hope we get through to the next round - the score is irrelevant."