Wembley bridge could be named after Roy Keane

There is nowhere else on the planet which occupies such a special place in the hearts of England football fans.

Wembley is not just the home of English football, it is the stuff of legends. It is where FA cup finals have been held since the days of baggy shorts and Brylcreem, it is where England made World Cup history - and it is where every English schoolboy dreams of scoring the goal that wins the cup for their beloved Chelsea/Man U/Leyton Orient.

So when it comes to finding a name for a footbridge at the new Wembley stadium, one might have assumed it should be named after some suitably English sporting icon. The Stanley Matthews bridge, perhaps? Or Geoff Hurst? Alf Ramsey? Or even just 1966?

But no. A competition to find a name for the footbridge - which will link the national stadium with the town centre - has been hijacked by mischievous Scottish, Irish and Welsh fans who want it to remember one of their own homegrown heroes. Thanks to an email campaign, nearly 90 per cent of the 80,000 suggestions that have been put forward so far have been for non-English players.

The leading contender so far is Jim Baxter, who earned his place in Scottish folklore when he helped Scotland beat world champions England at Wembley in 1967, memorably taunting his opponents by playing keepy-uppy.

Tartan Army source Hamish Husband said: "I got an email asking that I vote to name the bridge after Jim Baxter and I think it is a great idea. Wembley means just as much to Scottish fans as it does to the English."

Similarly the Welsh have thrown their weight behind Scott Gibbs, who scored Wales's winning try during their famous victory over England in 1999.

Meanwhile a cheeky email has been flying around Irish cyberspace exhorting fans there: "It's that time of the year again - time for the Irish to play havoc with an online vote. Vote for the new Wembley footbridge to be named the Roy Keane Bridge."

But any Scottish fans deluding themselves into believing they love Wembley rather than seeing it as an emblematic bit of enemy territory might care to remember 4 June 1977, when Scotland supporters celebrated a 2-1 win over England in the home championships by invading the pitch, smashing the crossbar and digging up the turf. For years after no self-respecting Scottish fan could show off his back garden without claiming it had been turfed with sods from Wembley.

Now the London Development Agency, which is funding the bridge and organising the naming competition, has called on England fans to stand up for their birthright.

And if any Scottish, Irish or Welsh fans persist in their ill-advised campaign, they should be warned: the winner of the competition will be presented with... a signed England top.