Louis Tomlinson has been praised after buying and setting up a wide-screen TV in the middle of his campsite at Glastonbury so people could watch England’s Euros game.
On Sunday, music and sport fans faced a hard decision when at Worthy Farm after organisers at the long-running festival announced they wouldn’t be screening any Euro 2024 matches because it clashed with planned performances.
However on Sunday evening, football fans were given a chance to watch England take on Slovakia in the last-16 match by the former One Direction star, 32.
After attempting to watch the game in the hospitality section and facing bad reception, Louis headed to a local Argos to get his own TV and a generator before setting it up in the camping section.
The enterprising idea saw hundreds of people flock to the area to tune in and watch the tense game unfold.
Speaking to the BBC, Louis admitted that fans had labelled him ‘the god of the festival’, adding it was ‘a little bit touch and go at times’ due to the TV’s glitchy signal.
‘Luckily we got the win, we pulled it off,’ he said. ‘[I’m] made up.’
As the game headed into extra time, Louis also told The Guardian it was actually the second screen he’d purchased after the first ‘got cracked’.
He added: ‘I wasn’t going to take credit for it because it looked like we were going to lose in normal time, but now that we’ve equalised, I’m happy to.’
Festival staff had initially been concerned by the gathering, fearing it could lead to a crush with attendees leaving the Pyramid stage, as reported by the same publication.
Staff said some fans had been abusive when told the impromptu screening would have to be ended, however a compromise was found and the screen was eventually angled away from the thoroughfare, with cheers heard from the group after the crowd safety officer confirmed the screening could continue.
Dressed in a retro England windbreaker with a cross of St George’s flag wrapped around his neck, Louis also had to quickly intervene when the stream briefly cut out in the second half, but managed to get it back up and running.
England eventually won the game 2-1 with. Harry Kane scoring the winner in extra time
The match and Glastonbury screening was also documented by Louis’ sister Lottie on TikTok.
A passionate football fan, Louis has been a lifelong supporter of Doncaster Rovers and was once briefly involved in an attempt to buy the club.
England’s win means they will now face Switzerland in the quarter-finals next Saturday.
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