The Sun

28 June 1996

EU DID IT

Scots’ brain power turfed England out of Euro 96 says Geller

By ALLY ROSS

LEGENDARY psychic Uri Geller last night claimed Scots fans helped wreck England’s Euro 96 dream – by willing them to lose.
Spoon-bender Uri staged a TV experiment in which he begged everyone in Britain to get behind Terry Venables’ side.
But he believes the stunt backfired on penalty sinner Gareth Southgate – because the Tartan Army used Uri’s “power” to back Germany.
He said: “There is no doubt Scotland made a difference to the outcome of the match. Feelings can be received on the same island and that’s why I begged Scotland to slide over to the other side.
“If all of Scotland had been with England it would have helped. But they obviously didn’t.”
Geller – whose mind-reading talents have made him a multimillionaire – staged the experiment on GMTV on Wednesday morning.
He urged fans to touch an orange circle which appeared on the screen and shout “Win”.
Geller claims the experiment’s “bad psyche” immediately convinced him that England would go out at the semifinal stage.
He said: “England and Scotland have been at war for centuries.”
“There is a war in the minds of the people and I hope it can ebb away.”
But he still believes he could have reversed the result – if he had been allowed to speak to the England players before the match.
He said: “Venables was not prepared; to let me see them. They would have won if I had because the psyche is so powerful.”
“After that I expected a penalty shoot-out and I knew Southgate would miss. When I saw him going to take it I thought: ‘Oh no’.”
“I started running towards the goal to help but it was too late.”