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Has football ever ‘been home’, asks Kasper Schmeichel, as Denmark prepare to burst England’s bubble

Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has taken a swipe at England and the idea of football “coming home”.

The anthem “football’s coming home” can be heard and seen across the nation ahead of tonight’s Euros semi-final as fans dream of finally adding to the World Cup success of 1966.

But Leicester’s Schmeichel is not concerning himself with that clamour for success and instead aimed a cheeky dig at England.

"Has it ever been home?" he said. "I don't know, have you ever won it? I haven't given any thought to what it would mean to stop England more than what it would do for Denmark.

"I've focused very little on the England team. It doesn't mean anything to me.

"It's what it would do for our country back home. The joy it would bring to a country of only five-and-a-half million to be able to do something like that. So, yeah, not really a lot of thought to England's feelings in this."

Schmeichel says it has not surprised him to see Denmark's reaction to the Eriksen incident.

"This group has always been special," he added. "It just came to light in a dramatic way. But we have never been in doubt of the collective strength and the spirit we have.

"It's shown the world what we have. What it has done for the country of Denmark is that we've experienced something as a country quite shocking.

"That's brought the country very close together. The support we've seen back home is unlike anything I've ever experienced. But it shows what football can do. It shows the reason why we play team sports, because when one of your team-mates is in need, then your mates are there for you."

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