David Beckham and stand-in captain Michael Owen have made appeals urging fans not to damage England's chances of reaching the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal.

　　"We are working as a team to try and reach the finals of this competition and hopefully the fans are not going to spoil it," Owen said last Monday in an unprecedented television address.

　　"Respect has to be shown to the opposition. Booing the national anthem is disrespectful. Racism and jumping on the pitch has definitely got to stop.

　　"It's going to get us in a lot of trouble."

　　England's Football Association has been fined and warned about the future conduct of supporters after racist abuse, two pitch invasions and 95 arrests marred a European championship qualifying victory over Turkey in April.

　　UEFA's outgoing chief executive Gerhard Aigner warned of "extreme measures" if the scenes were repeated.

　　"England fans - just get behind the team and do it in a nice way, because we deserve it. We don't want to be eliminated from the competition," said Beckham.

　　Michael Owen made his plea on the eve of a friendly against Serbia and Montenegro in Leicester and just days after UEFA's outgoing chief executive Gerhard Aigner's "extreme measures" warning.

　　"We want everyone to behave," Owen told a news conference.

　　"I wasn't alive when we won the World Cup," said the 23-year-old. "And I'd love to be alive with us winning another World Cup.

　　"It would be awful to think that you've got the best team in the world or the best team in the European championship and it's spoiled because your fans can't (behave).

　　"We've got a young side and we've got a genuine chance in the championship. But it's the World Cup that really excites me. I think the team will absolutely be at its peak in 2006."

　　A repetition of England's 1966 triumph at the 2006 finals in Germany has been a longstanding goal under England's Swedish manager Sven-Goran Eriksson.

　　The more immediate target, though, is next year's European championship in Portugal.

　　Sending message

　　With Englandshavingsbeing warned of a possible expulsion from Euro 2000 after crowd trouble, Owen was anxious to get his message across before their Euro 2004 qualifying campaign re-starts against Slovakia on June 11.

　　"Being a supporter in the summer in a massive competition, you're watching games every day and when a big England game comes on you're cheering your nation, who have got a chance in any competition they play in," he said.

　　"The consequences of missing it, if people don't behave, are enormous. If they think of what the summer would be like, I think they'll think again.

　　"I hate the thought of us qualifying ahead of Turkey and the other teams in oursgroupsand to not get there because of a stupid, silly thing that you can easily correct off the pitch.

　　Regular skipper David Beckham, who is suspended for the Leicester game, was also due to make a televised appeal to England fans.