World Cup: England football fans trash Auckland's Fox Sporting Bar, leads to joke ban threat

Jubilant England fans celebrate at The Fox. Image / Facebook

Raucous England football fans got so carried away at an Auckland Viaduct bar that they smashed glasses and damaged a pool table - but the bar owner says they're welcome back any time.

The messy aftermath of a quarter-final win over Sweden yesterday prompted The Fox Sporting Bar and Restaurant to post a "tongue in cheek" message on its Facebook page, threatening to ban England fans from entering the bar.

"We're having a Board Meeting to deliberate tomorrow morning. English fans with paper cups or ban English fans from The Fox", the post said.

"Might have to charge English fans more because you guys broke all our glasses and messed up our pool table. Or maybe serve you drinks in paper cups."

Some commenters were in favour of banning English fans, while others told the bar to smarten up and question if it was another way to make money.

"It's called passion … if the Fox owner had half a brain then beer would be served in plastic glasses and the pool table moved out of there," one wrote.

The backlash led to the post being taken down.

Bar owner Patrick Lopez told the Herald it was just meant to be a joke.

"That's all it was. We have no intention of banning anyone from our bar."

English football fan Katie Gartside was at the bar on Sunday morning.

"I saw a few people standing on tables, jumping around and on each others' shoulders and things like that but the majority of people like I say, were just having a good time and singing and dancing."

During the game bar staff went around with signs amid the chaos, she said.

"During the actual game, they did go around with signs saying if you throw beer or if you're rowdy you will be thrown out.

"So I think you know they were just trying to calm people down because of the excitement."

Lopez said they hit capacity at 250 people 45 minutes out from the start of Sunday's game - and had to turn away 500 more fans.

Demand to attend was so strong that they've had to change tack on ticket sales for the remainder of the World Cup.

"We are not taking reservations on the phone or on email, we are making them come here and purchase the tickets themselves and we're limiting them to five per person so everyone gets a chance."

While the Herald was at the bar, the phone rang off the hook and about a dozen people stopped by to ask after tickets.

Steve White was one of them. He said people had to be in quick, likening the atmosphere in the bar during the games as similar to that of a London pub.

He anticipates Thursday's England-Croatia semi-final will be rowdier than ever.

"It's the first time we've been in the semi-final since 1990. So it's going to be a very expectant crowd, always over-excited but should be a good buzz."

English football fans are known to get rowdy after victories, with many watching games at bars and pubs around the world.

Videos have emerged online throughout the tournament and following this latest win, fans have been filmed climbing road signs and even jumping on cars and buses.