World Cup 2010: Piles of England tat and tickets for the quarters going cheap

Fans in South Africa face lengthy delays as they seek to put disappointment behind them and return home quickly

Thousands of England fans – some sad, some angry, many both – were starting the long trip back from South Africa today, trying to work out where it went wrong and wondering if it had all been worthwhile. A few were planning to stay on to watch other games, but most simply wanted to get home and back to work as quickly as possible.

Tales abounded of fans having to pay hundreds of pounds to change their flights, while a sizeable minority who had only come out for the second round, gambling on England getting further in the competition, faced having to while away a week or more.

Among the despondent were newlyweds Dave and Serena Stone, who celebrated their honeymoon following England in South Africa. The trip cost them £8,000. "And for what?" said Mr Stone. "A half-decent 1-0 win over Slovenia and then to be totally outplayed by Germany. It is just not good enough. If I had one question to ask any of the players it would be: do you think you have delivered value for money?

Guardian: