MANCHESTER, England, June 25, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- On line betting firm Betfred.com will refund bets if England lose on penalties on Sunday.
England have lost their last two knock-out matches to the Germans on spot kicks.
The first time was in 1990 and in the side was defender Paul Parker who has spoken of the fear that gripped him in the nail-biting penalty shoot-out against German.
Parker was in the England side that lost a dramatic semi-final 4-3 after spot-kick misses from Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle.
And, with England once again facing the Germans on Sunday, he told Betfred.com of his fear of being chosen as one of the five players to take those all-important kicks in that semi-final 20 years ago.
He said: "The first thing that went through my mind was 'where can I go and throw these football boots so I don't have to take a pen?'.
"It's bad enough going over the halfway line - but to keep on walking before facing the goal and having to shoot, that was sheer fear. There was always the thought that I would have to take one but, thankfully, it never materialised."
The possibility of another shoot-out - and it's outcome - in Bloemfontein on Sunday afternoon has had punters buzzing ever since Germany secured their last 16 place against the Three Lions with Wednesday's 1-0 win over Ghana.
And, in the event of England losing on penalties again, Betfred.com will refund all correct score bets, first and last goalscorer and scorecasts as a free bet up to GBP200.
If the game goes to the wire with a shoot-out, Parker knows just how those picked for the task will be feeling. He said: "A lot of people can be critical but it is a very nerve-wracking time for the players.
They must think of the massive crowd watching plus the billions around the world watching on TV - a lot goes through their mind when they are making that 50-yard walk to the penalty area. Then they have to look at that white frame and make sure the ball crosses the line. It is a major, major job."
Parker feels that the game WILL go into extra-time, saying: "I am going for a draw after 90 minutes. They play very efficiently. In their last game they had to go out and they had to score a goal and play well, and they did that efficiently.
"We know that when we do play them they are going to be much tighter. We have got to cut through and pass the ball better, than we will do well against one of the best teams in the world."
Parker, like many people, is concerned about the lack of form being shown by Wayne Rooney and suggests that resting him may be of benefit. He said: "The only disappointment in the win over Slovenia was Wayne Rooney who was relatively quite poor. I personally don't think Rooney is fit.
"There is something there because you can see the frustration because he is always looking for someone to blame when things don't go his way.
"Can we afford to take him out of the firing line? He might just suddenly ignite against Germany and then maybe we will see the real Wayne Rooney. Sometimes, as someone said to me when I was playing, you can't just pick and choose when you switch on and off.
"But Wayne is not there at the moment. Could it be a benefit to Wayne to be taken out of the firing line for a while?"
Bookmakers expect over GBP30million will be gambled on the England-Germany game.
Fred Done founder of Betfred.com said: "It's going to be a record breaker in terms of bets and the punters are coming for the Three Lions, it's not just patriotic cash but England are now favourites. I just hope I'm paying out on England and celebrating at Sunday tea-time."
Done added: "If the unthinkable happens and we lose on penalties I will refund all correct score, goalscorer bets and scorecasts. I'm happy to give all England fans a bit of insurance, but I'll be hiding behind the sofa if it goes to penalties!"
Throughout the World Cup you can hear the thoughts of Paul Parker at http://content.betfred.com/worldcup/index.asp
Latest Befred prices: England 13/8 Draw 11/5, Germany 15/8;
England to win on Penalties 10/1 and to win in extra-time 9/1;
Germany 10/1 to win on pens, 9/1 in extra-time.
SOURCE Betfred.com
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