A group of pals were barred from a pub after the victory over Argentina - because they were wearing England shirts.

Nick Askey, 33, had arranged to see his friends after returning from a five- month tour of Europe.

But the party was ruined when they were refused entry for sporting the three lions - despite, he claimed, several drinkers inside sporting foreign strips.

Staff at the Casa bar, in York, said they had been forced to take action after earlier violence involving people wearing England shirts - and they had not noticed any other football strips on the premises.

"I couldn't believe they were turning England fans away after such a victory like that," said Nick, from Main Street, Stockton-on-Forest, North Yorks.

"It really got our backs up when we looked trough the window and saw people in Italian and Brazil shirts.

"My dad had to drive into town with another top for my brother because he was wearing an England shirt.

"It marred the whole day because we all got split up.

"This policy probably causes more trouble than it stops."

Harry Owen, from York, was also turned away for wearing a shirt. "There was no consistency," he said. "How can they let in Brazil shirts but not England?"

But Casa manager Gaynor Marshall said a decision was taken to stop England fans getting in following several violent incidents.

Police arrested 45 people for public order offences in the city centre following England's victory and extra officers had to be drafted in.

"We had England fans inside throwing chairs around and fighting amongst themselves in the toilet," Miss Marshall said.

"We had no doorstaff before 6.30pm and had to call the police.

"Once the trouble started no-one was let in until it had emptied a bit.

"After 7pm we have a smart dress policy anyway. "It was a nightmare for those England fans who weren't causing trouble, but what could we do? I never spotted anyone wearing foreign shirts."

Nick added: "We're not hooligans but patriotic fans who want to wear our country's shirt."