THAT WORLD CUP GUY: Lost luggage and a last‑minute sprint: How I nearly missed the 1990 World Cup Final
16.04.26, 08:00 Updated 20.05.26, 23:04 4 Minute Read
Andy Milne
In late 1988, to combat football hooliganism, Margaret Thatcher proposed compulsory photo ID cards for fans at all 92 football league grounds. Despite opposition, she vowed to implement the plan by the 1990/91 season.
However, the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough disaster warned that such cards might delay entry, increasing the risk of violence. The government quietly dropped the plan; a climbdown so humiliating that Neil Kinnock mocked Thatcher in Parliament, inviting her to “make a little history this afternoon and simply get up and admit she was wrong.”
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Andy Milne Author of That World Cup Guy, Andy has attended every major tournament since 1982. A familiar face to England fans, he brings colour, humanity and the perspective of a lifelong supporter.