English fans mix history with soccer

England fan Stewart Whitby and his son Edward have come to Nuremberg to roar on their team in Thursday's World Cup match against Trinidad & Tobago.

On Wednesday, though, they chose to be silent.

Standing on the steps of the Zeppelinfeld where Adolf Hitler addressed Nazi rallies in the 1920s and '30s, the father and son were very moved by the occasion.

"I'm speechless, to be honest," Stewart, 48, told Reuters. "You walk up and see it for the first time and it's incredible. There's so much history and so much comes to mind.

"I think everyone should come to places like this."

• Football Fiesta!

Earlier, Britain's ambassador to Germany Peter Torry urged all fans to visit the site of the rallies, which is next to the Frankenstadion match venue, and the nearby information centre to learn about the city's past and how it has changed.

Strict laws in Germany prevent anyone from making the Nazi salute or displaying Nazi symbols, and English officials have been concerned that fans could cause offence by making the gestures either through their idea of humour or stupidity.

Two English supporters were deported from Germany after England's opening 1-0 win against Paraguay in Frankfurt for allegedly wearing Nazi insignia.

"Nuremberg of course has a Nazi past which we're all familiar with but equally no town in Germany, and I think no town probably anywhere in the world, has come to terms with its past in the way Nuremberg has," Torry told reporters.

"I think the opportunity for English fans to come here and to see the way in which modern Germany has come to terms with its past is something to be welcomed.

"I hope we'll help break down those remaining stereotypes that still exist."

While the majority of England fans are young men, more and more families are travelling to support the team as part of their summer holiday.

Malcolm Lewellyn has followed England abroad for over 30 years and took his two sons to the Zeppelinfeld on Thursday.

"My youngest wasn't so sure whether he wanted to come here or not but the older one was keen," he said of the teenagers. "It's history, you have to come and see it and take it all in."