IT IS extremely worrying to learn that during World Cup matches involving England, incidents of domestic violence increase sharply.

Football, of course, invokes plenty of passion among supporters of various clubs and indeed the national team, particularly in World Cup year, but you cannot expect the team you support to win on every occasion.

According to an online report, “nobody wants England to win more than women” because they would bear the brunt of anger and violence when the team loses, as it invariably will at some point.

It also states that domestic abuse rates rise by an astonishing and worrying 38 per cent when England lose.

During the last World Cup tournament in Brazil in 2014, Sussex Police confirmed they recorded 2,201 incidents.

The force must be praised for running a specialist support service for the duration of the current tournament, codenamed Operation Ribbon, to act on any reports of domestic abuse so that it can support victims and take swift and decisive action against perpetrators.

Although some will point out that violence is often driven by excessive consumption of alcohol, which is especially prevalent when watching football in pubs and clubs, it cannot be used as an excuse whatsoever.

England football fans across the country obviously want to see the team do well and there are certainly grounds for optimism after the hard-fought victory over Tunisia in the opening game for Gareth Southgate’s team.

Hopefully they can go far in the tournament and give us something to celebrate but if we don’t it is worth remembering it is only a game.