Panama's English coach compares World Cup clash to 'princes v paupers' battle

Panama's English coach compares World Cup clash to 'princes v paupers' battle Gary Stempel, born to an English mother and who lived in England for nearly 30 years, looks ahead to Panama's clash with the Three Lions which takes place on Saturday The “proud” minnows of Panama are determined to cause problems and upset England in the big World Cup clash. An English coach who lives in the Central American country said the nation’s stars knows they can cause an upset.Respected English coach Gary Stempel said it might be a ‘princes v paupers’ match because of the difference in salaries between the two sides but Panama is a strong nation. He told Mirror Online: “They are very proud players, very proud to play for Panama. And when they step on the pitch for the match on Saturday it doesn’t matter if you earn £625 a week or £300,000 a week. “You’re representing your country in the World Cup - that’s all that matters.” Some of the central American team earn just £625 a week playing in Panamanian Premier League The lowest paid England player is on £100,000 a week.That’s almost 200 times more. Stempel said: “Some of the Panama players play here in the local national league. They will be earning, perhaps, 3,000 or possibly 4000 US dollars each month. “It’s obviously nothing compared to what the Premier League stars are earning. They all dream of a move to a European club. It’s life changing for them and their families.” England play Panama in New York on Saturday. If they win, they will progress to the knock-out stages and will almost certainly top the group. If they top the group, they will play the round of 32 in Atlanta and then the round of 16 in Mexico City. England played Panama in the 2018 World Cup and ran out 6-1 winners. The Mirror visited Panama before that tournament and told the tragic story of a player who should played against the Three Lions. But Amilcar "Mickey" Henriquez who won 85 caps for his country and was one of their greatest ever players, was assassinated the year before by a mystery gunman. His partner Gixiani heard the shots and ran outside their home to see the body of her husband lying on the driveway. Gixiani invited us into the family home to speak for the very first time about the horrific killing which tore her family, and Panamanian football, apart. Fighting back the tears, she showed me the poignant "shrine" she created in her front room. There was her husband's beloved "21" Panama shirt and several pairs of his prized football boots on display. It was a murder that shocked the nation and illustrated the violent underbelly in this beautiful Central American country.