WHAT have England, Trinidad and Tobago and Tahiti in common?

No it’s not exotic beaches in a paradise location, it’s the fact that they were the first three countries eliminated in the World Under 20 championships in Egypt.

Isn’t that a sobering thought, especially as I can throw in Uzbekistan as well, indeed the height of our achievement in the land of the Pharaohs was an 88th-minute goal which saved us the embarrassment of returning home without a goal or a point.

That was against Uzbekistan and the strike by Manchester City’s Alex Nimely was England’s first in these finals for 12 years.

It is to our eternal shame that English people are far more interested in their club sides than the national team.

Sir Trevor Brooking is too much of a gentleman to say it publicly, but privately he was seething that 30, 40 or even 50 players who might have been called up, were denied the experience of playing in a World Cup because their clubs wanted them warming a substitutes’ bench at home or going out on loan to lower division clubs. The likes of Theo Walcott, Fabian Delph, Daniel Sturridge and Jack Rodwell should have been in Egypt, but instead the three lions were on the chests of players who have no hope of ever making the grade.

South American, African and Asian countries take this competition seriously, even Spain prioritise their national team and not even Barcelona or Real Madrid are allowed to hold players back, hence the World Under 20 finals have been graced by the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Fernando Torres and Lionel Messi in recent times.

Taking in the long-term picture, Sir Trevor fears a bleak future for our game.

With so few English youngsters coming through, and those that do, restricted to fleeting club appearances, England is in danger of becoming a third rate nation in global football – permanently ranked alongside the likes of Tahiti and Trinidad.

I’VE been lucky to play golf in some exotic locations, but never before in the shadow of one of the seven wonders of the world.

The Mena House golf course is as close to the Pyramids as the River Thames is to the Houses of Parliament, so it felt extraordinary to fear hooking a tee shot straight into the giant edifice down the ninth.

Thankfully I didn’t, and the passing camels didn’t get the hump.

THERE’S a guy by the name of Bogy (pronounced Boogy) playing for Egypt in the World Under 20 Championships and he should have become a national hero with the two late goals he scored to clinch the home country’s place in the last 16.

Instead “Colonel” has been vilified. Why?

Well, after scoring the first of his brace against Italy he ran straight to a camera and bellowed into the lens something along the lines of “What about that you mother ...... ? in clear reference to his coach, who had left him on the bench for every game at the tournament so far.

The Egyptian people were so shocked and offended by his behaviour, a huge poster has gone up in Cairo proclaiming that if Bogy scores the winning goal in the final and makes them world champions they will not be able to celebrate.

Can you imagine a similar reaction in England if Wayne Rooney celebrates with an expletive?

It’s called a cultural difference.