They think it's all over, but the World Cup is getting back on song

England is the only country from the British Isles competing in South Africa, and with the legendary Pele suggesting that we, along with Spain and Brazil, are the pre-tournament favourites, a palpable sense

of optimism has sprung up among supporters.

We've been here before, of course, only to come a cropper in those dreaded penalty shoot-outs. But it wouldn't be the World Cup without all the hype, flag-waving jingoism, metatarsal injuries and so on.

However, this year there is no official England World Cup song, which, given the standard of some of the previous efforts, is perhaps no bad thing. But those of you looking for an omen might want to consider that the last time England didn't have an official record was 1966 – and we all know what happened then.

Ever since January, when the FA confirmed there wouldn't be an official song to mark England's World Cup campaign, the contest has been to come up with an alternative anthem. It's a battle which has been as fierce as that among the players trying to secure a place in Fabio Capello's squad.

In recent weeks, all kinds of novelty records and revamped anthems have surfaced featuring some unlikely names. Mark E Smith, better known for his misanthropic lyrics with post-punk band The Fall than his interest in football, has teamed up with former bandmate Ed Blane and Jenny Shuttleworth to release the song, England's Heartbeat.

Even maverick comedian Rik Mayall is getting in on the act. His alternative anthem, Noble England, includes a reworking of the famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V, with the rousing "once more unto the breach" passage transformed into the kind of spiel a manager might give his team before a big match.

This year's competition also includes some big hitters. Former

Liverpool and England legend John Barnes has gone back behind the microphone to reprise his star turn in New Order's classic World in Motion anthem, which first became a hit in the run-up to Italia '90. Another interesting record receiving a makeover is Jeff Christie's smash hit, Yellow River, which, ironically, knocked Back Home – England's official 1970 World Cup song – off the number-one spot in the UK singles charts 40 years ago. Leeds-born Christie and producer David Robertson have created a ska and reggae version called Hat Trick of Lions (Come on England), which is likely to stir the memories of fans of a certain vintage.

Those of you with no interest whatsoever in the World Cup may wonder what all the fuss is about. But while there are occasions when hordes of chanting football fans can appear little more than an Asbo choir, there is no other sport that has the same universal appeal.

We associate certain songs with a particular time and place and sporting anthems form part of the soundtrack of our lives. I remember during the France '98 tournament being crammed in to the same pub to watch all of England's matches. The partisan atmosphere was stoked before the start of each game with a raucous rendition of Vindaloo, that year's adopted anthem, which was sung with gusto by one and all. And it remains a lasting memory.

The Lightning Seeds singer, Ian Broudie, who co-wrote Three Lions with Frank Skinner and David Baddiel, recognises the importance of the song to many fans.

"It's great because people come up to me all the time and they want to talk about Three Lions. It reminds them of football and the World Cup and it's something they have great fondness for, so I'm extremely proud of that record."

Fourteen years after it was first released, the song and its

iconic "football's coming home" chorus can still be heard at England matches and probably will be for years to come.

It's not only pop stars who are making World Cup records; this year's slew of would-be anthems includes several by unknown amateur bands. One such group is Leeds trio Tim Bradley, Chris Charlton and Matthew Parkes who have penned their own unofficial World Cup anthem called Mr

Capello – an uplifting homage to the England manager. Mentored by local charity Leeds Music Trust, the three musicians, who call themselves The Defenders, recorded the song in between doing their jobs as a teacher, statistician and joiner.

Mark Hubbard, founder of the trust, says World Cup anthems have become part of our culture. "It's a tradition that goes back a long time. The one that probably started it all was Back Home and the song actually did a lot better than the team. Over the years, there's been really good records, like World in Motion and Three Lions, and there's a bit of competition now to try to do something that is a little better than what's gone before."

Which is why he wanted to see what a group of local musicians could come up with.

"I was talking to some friends about this year's songs and I

thought, 'Surely we can do better than this?' So we decided to do something about it. It's a bit of a laugh but we wanted to show that amateurs can do just as well as professional musicians."

The subsequent single, Mr Capello, will be available as a free download this week with any proceeds from the project going straight back into the charity, which works with aspiring young musicians and those with disabilities.

"It's an ode to Mr Capello, it's a very catchy song that will get the crowds going," says Hubbard. "There's a nod to past footballing songs and, hopefully, people will like it and it will prove the fact that you don't have to spend millions of pounds on big production and big name stars."

The song already has the backing of the Pigeon Detectives, Kaiser Chiefs and Embrace.

Nick Hodgson, drummer and songwriter with the Kaiser Chiefs, believes it highlights the wealth of musical talent in Yorkshire.

"Northern cities are breeding grounds for great song-writing, and this song shows that."

Matt Bowman, of Leeds indie band the Pigeon Detectives, also gives it the thumbs up.

"It's catchier than Three Lions, has more class than Vindaloo and a chorus that deserves to be shouted by every England fan on the terraces in South Africa. It's a football song the way football songs should be."

So is there a secret formula to a good football anthem?

Hubbard believes there is. "It's the same as it is for any good

pop song. It's got to be catchy so that even if you can't really sing you're still happy singing along to it."

Notable flops

New Order's World in Motion may have turned the traditional World Cup song on its head, and Baddiel and Skinner's Three Lions, originally written for Euro '96, but embraced by fans at the 1998 World Cup in France, still endures, but when it comes to football anthems there have also been some out-and-out shockers.

The Village People, Far Away in America, German squad, 1994

There was little rhyme and absolutely no reason why Jrgen Klinsmann and co teamed up with the moustachioed US disco

outfit. Camp doesn't do it justice and Germany subsequently went out in the quarter-finals.

Liam Harrison and the Goal Celebrities, Give It A Lash Jack, Republic of Ireland, 1990.

The song world's equivalent of a faux Irish pub, it contained the immortal lines, "Packie' Bonner, he's a gonner/He won't have a single thing to do." Sadly, that proved optimistic. While the squad got to the quarter-finals after a penalty shoot-out, Italy brought their competition to an abrupt end.

Ant and Dec, We're On the Ball, England Squad, 2002

After Ready to Rumble, everyone's favourite Geordies should have known to steer clear of the charts, but in 2002 they were at it again. Satisfyingly, the song was beaten to the top of the charts by Will Young, the newly crowned winner of Pop Idol, the show which the duo

had hosted.