MUNICH: Euro 2024 kicks off on Friday in Germany as the continent’s footballing heavyweights prepare to fight it out over the next month with the aim of taking the crown away from reigning champions Italy.
Germany play Scotland in the opening game in Munich and the host nation are hoping their journey will continue all the way to the final in Berlin on July 14.
It is the first time the country has hosted a major men’s international tournament since the 2006 World Cup, and it is a mouth-watering setting after the underwhelming nature of the last European Championship.
Euro 2020 was delayed by a year because of the pandemic, finally taking place in 2021 in front of limited crowds.
It was also staged in cities all across the continent, from Seville to Baku, and those factors stripped away much of what makes these tournaments so special.
This time all supporters will descend on Germany, where matches will be played in 10 stadiums, from Hamburg in the north to Munich in the south.
Germans are hoping for a repeat of 2006, when many fell in love with their national team again after a period in the doldrums similar to what they have experienced in the years leading up to this competition.
Philipp Lahm, the captain of Germany’s 2014 World Cup-winning team and now Euro 2024 tournament director, also hopes the competition will bring people together at a time of division and disunity across the continent.
The tournament begins less than a week after far-right parties made significant gains in EU parliament elections, while Europe is still dealing with the crisis of the war in Ukraine.
“I hope at the very least the Euro will lead to a more united Germany again,” said Lahm.
A good performance by Germany on the field would help, and the outlook is more positive for Julian Nagelsmann’s team now than a few months ago.
A group also containing Hungary and Switzerland should be straightforward enough given the quality in Germany’s ranks, from veteran playmaker Toni Kroos to younger stars Florian Wirtz and Jamal Musiala.
“We have gone through difficult phases as a national team, but something big can happen here,” Musiala, of Bayern Munich, told Sportbild.
However, there are good reasons why France and England are so strongly fancied to raise aloft the Henri Delaunay trophy on July 14.
France are Europe’s top-ranked nation and have been in the last two World Cup finals. Fresh from sealing his move to Real Madrid, Kylian Mbappe is eager to make up for a disappointing showing at the last Euros, when his penalty miss sealed a shoot-out defeat to Switzerland in the last 16.
“Kylian is our captain and a great leader. We will need him to be at his best,” admitted France coach Didier Deschamps.
England have never been European champions, although they came mightily close in 2021 when they lost the final on penalties to Italy.
Optimism about their prospects this time is fueled by the fact that star players Harry Kane, of Bayern, and Jude Bellingham, formerly of Borussia Dortmund, should feel so at home on German soil.
“We want to make history,” said England midfielder Declan Rice this week.
“We say it all the time, but genuinely we have a group, a manager, that really believes. We have a confidence that we can go there and do something really special.”
England begin their tournament against Serbia on Sunday in Gelsenkirchen, home of fallen German giants Schalke 04.
The French and English will be on course to meet in the semifinals if they both top their groups.
The prospect of Italy — who are in the same group as Spain — successfully defending their title seems slightly remote, but it would be foolish to rule them out.
“This Italy team is underrated and very competitive,” insisted legendary former Azzurri goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Portugal, champions in 2016, are genuine contenders even if they are still led by Cristiano Ronaldo, now aged 39 and playing club football in Saudi Arabia.
This Euros is the third since the competition was expanded to feature 24 teams, a move that has afforded a chance to some smaller nations, including Georgia, debutants this time.
However, injuries at the end of a long season are taking their toll on some leading players.
Frenkie de Jong, the Barcelona and Netherlands playmaker, has been ruled out with an ankle injury, while his club colleague Robert Lewandowski will not play in Poland’s opening match due to a thigh problem.
Germany braced for Euro 2024 kick-off with France, England the favorites
https://arab.news/5uber
Germany braced for Euro 2024 kick-off with France, England the favorites
- Germans are hoping for a repeat of 2006
- England have never been European champions
Turkiye summons German ambassador to protest criticism of Demiral’s goal celebration at Euro 2024
- Türkiye summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday to protest German interior minister Nancy Faeser’s condemnation of Demiral’s goal celebration
- Faeser urged UEFA to punish the player for making the gesture
LEIPZIG, Germany: A controversial gesture made by Türkiye player Merih Demiral at soccer’s European Championship has ignited a diplomatic brouhaha between the country and host nation Germany.
Türkiye summoned the German ambassador on Wednesday to protest German interior minister Nancy Faeser’s condemnation of Demiral’s goal celebration the night before, when the player displayed a hand sign associated with an ultra-nationalist group.
Demiral scored both goals Tuesday in a 2-1 win over Austria to earn Türkiye’s place in the quarterfinals.
After scoring the second goal he made a sign with each hand that is used by Turkish nationalists and associated with the Turkish ultra-nationalist organization Ulku Ocaklari, which is more widely known as the Gray Wolves.
Faeser urged UEFA to punish the player for making the gesture.
“The symbols of Turkish right-wing extremists have no place in our stadiums. Using the soccer European Championship as a platform for racism is completely unacceptable,” Faeser said on X.
Federal minister Cem Özdemir, a German politician of Turkish descent, said Demiral’s gesture is “extreme right” and “stands for terror, fascism.”
UEFA said it was investigating Demiral’s “alleged inappropriate behavior.” The soccer body did not outline when the case might conclude. Türkiye’s next game is against the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday.
The spokesman for Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party, Omer Celik, said Faeser’s comments and UEFA’s investigation are “unacceptable.”
“It would be more appropriate for those looking for racism and fascism to focus on the recent election results in different European countries,” Celik wrote on X.
Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry also condemned the investigation as a politically motivated reaction “to the use of a historical and cultural symbol” during the goal celebration.
A ministry statement said the gesture is not banned in Germany and noted that the German authority which safeguards the constitution had ruled in September 2023 that not everyone making the Gray Wolf sign could be classified as a far-right extremist.
“We consider that the reactions shown by the German authorities toward Mr. Demiral themselves contain xenophobia,” the ministry said.
After Tuesday’s game, Demiral said his gesture was an innocent expression of his national pride and that there was “no hidden message or anything of the sort.”
The player said he had the celebration in mind before scoring.
“It has to do with this Turkish identity, because I’m very proud to be a Turk. And I felt that to the fullest after the second goal. So that’s how I ended up doing that gesture. I’m very happy that I did that,” Demiral said. “I saw people in the stadium who were doing that sign. So that reminded me that I also had that in mind.”
Later, he was asked again about the gesture.
“How can I explain this?” he replied. “Of course we’re all Turkish. We’re all Turks in Turkiye. We’re very proud. I’m very proud as a person to be a Turk. So that’s what I did. That was the meaning of the gesture. It’s quite normal.”
Demiral said he hoped he’d get “more opportunities to do the same gesture again.”
Demiral was previously one of 16 Turkiye players reprimanded in 2019 for making military-style salutes at games at a time when the country was conducting a military offensive in Syria.
The Gray Wolves group was founded as the youth wing of Türkiye’s far-right Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, which is currently in an alliance with Erdogan’s ruling party, the Justice and Development Party.
In the decades following its founding in the 1960s, the group was accused of involvement in politically motivated violence, mostly against leftist groups.
MHP leader Devlet Bahceli on Wednesday condemned UEFA’s investigation into Demiral’s gesture as “biased and wrong.”
“The Gray Wolf sign made by our son, Merih, after netting the ball is the Turkish nation’s message to the world,” Bahceli wrote on X. The nationalist leader urged calm, saying the Turkish team’s “struggle on the field should not go to waste.”
Germany’s federal domestic agency monitors the Gray Wolves group’s activities. Authorities estimate it has around 12,100 members in the country.
The group has been banned in France, while Austria has banned the use of the Gray Wolf salute.
Demiral double sends Turkiye into Euro 2024 quarters at Austria’s expense
- Turkiye advance to face the Netherlands in the last eight in Berlin on Saturday
LEIPZIG, Germany: Merih Demiral was Turkiye’s unlikely hero with both goals in a 2-1 win over Austria on Tuesday that booked their place in the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.
The Al-Ahli center-back smashed home after just 58 seconds and produced a towering header on the hour mark to double Turkiye’s lead.
Michael Gregoritsch quickly pulled a goal back for Austria and only a stunning save from Mert Gunok denied Christoph Baumgartner a dramatic equalizer deep into stoppage-time.
Turkiye advance to face the Netherlands in the last eight in Berlin on Saturday.
Austria had emerged as dark horses to go far on the perceived weaker side of the draw after topping a group including France and the Netherlands.
Ralf Rangnick’s side had also thrashed Turkiye 6-1 in a friendly in March, but this time they failed to recover from a nightmare start.
Real Madrid’s Arda Guler was a constant threat to the Austrian defense and his teasing delivery from a corner caused chaos inside the first minute.
Baumgartner’s clearance off the line hit team-mate Stefan Posch, goalkeeper Patrick Pentz clawing it out to Demiral, who lashed into the roof of the net for the second fastest goal ever at a European Championship.
Turkiye’s raucous fans exploded in a deafening celebration, but they were nearly brought back down to earth straight away.
Baumgartner fired inches wide form the edge of the box before Demiral somehow prevented the RB Leipzig midfielder from scoring at his home ground as a dangerous Austrian corner flashed across goal.
Turkiye coach Vincenzo Montella said that absent captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who was missing due to suspension, was “irreplaceable.”
However, Guler assumed responsibility in the playmaking role and nearly produced a stunning second for his side with an audacious attempt from the halfway line that drifted wide.
Only Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands have had a higher winning percentage in European football since Rangnick took charge of Austria two years ago.
The former Manchester United boss made two changes at half-time, including the introduction of Gregoritsch, who scored a hat-trick when the sides met three months ago.
Rangnick got the reaction he desired as Austria began cutting through the Turkish defense.
Gunok spread himself brilliantly to deny Marko Arnautovic when one-on-one before Bayern Munich’s Konrad Laimer lacked the finish to a fine run through the middle.
However, they failed to learn their lesson from Guler corners as another inviting delivery was powered home by Demiral.
In doing so the 26-year-old became the first European defender to score twice in the knockout stages of a major tournament since Lillian Thuram for France at the 1998 World Cup.
It was also a set-piece at the other end that got Austria back in the game seven minutes later.
Posch flicked on Marcel Sabitzer’s corner for Gregoritsch to sweep high into the net.
A torrential downpour could not drown out a sensational atmosphere in Leipzig, with Turkiye’s huge expat population in Germany again making it like a home game for Montella’s men.
The fervent atmosphere turned sour as Sabitzer was struck by an object thrown from the crowd as he prepared to take a corner.
Baris Alper Yilmaz was denied a third for Turkiye by a fine save from Pentz in stoppage-time.
That nearly proved crucial as Gunok then had to produce a remarkable stop to prevent Baumgartner’s downward header finding the far corner.
It was an incredible save reminiscent of England keeper Gordon Banks’ iconic stop from Pele in the 1970 World Cup.
But Turkiye stood firm amid an aerial bombardment from Austria to reach the quarter-finals of a major tournament for the first time since Euro 2008.
Al-Ittihad part ways with coach Marcelo Gallardo
RIYADH: Al-Ittihad announced Tuesday that first team coach Marcelo Gallardo’s contract will not been renewed.
The Argentine, who took over the team as champions of the Saudi Pro League, managed the Jeddah club for 33 matches.
Ittihad finished fifth in the SPL, unable to secure a Champions League spot or an AFC Cup place.
Ronaldo says he is playing his ‘last European Championship’
- Portugal superstar is playing at the Euros for a record sixth time and has helped his country reach the quarterfinals
HAMBURG, Germany: Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed this year’s European Championship will be the last of his career.
The Portugal superstar, who is 39, is playing at the Euros for a record sixth time and has helped his country reach the quarterfinals — where Kylian Mbappe and France await in Hamburg on Friday.
Speaking to Portuguese public broadcaster RTP after the penalty-shootout victory over Slovenia on Monday, Ronaldo said: “It is, without doubt, my last European Championship.
“But I’m not emotional about that. I’m moved by all that football means — by the enthusiasm I have for the game, the enthusiasm for seeing my supporters, my family, the affection people have for me.”
Ronaldo, who is one of the most prolific scorers in football history and has a record 14 goals at European Championships, said his main motivation now was “making people happy.” He was reduced to tears during the Slovenia game after having a penalty saved in extra time.
“It’s not about leaving the world of football,” he said. “What else is there for me to do or win? It’s not going to come down to one point more or one point less.”
USA crash out of Copa in group phase as Uruguay, Panama advance
- USA captain Christian Pulisic blames lack of attacking quality for loss
- First-round exit raises fresh questions about the future of coach Gregg Berhalter
KANSAS CITY: The United States crashed out of the Copa America on Monday after a 1-0 defeat to Uruguay, as Panama sealed their place in the quarter-finals with a 3-1 win over Bolivia.
The tournament hosts suffered an upset 2-1 defeat to Panama last week and went into Monday’s final Group C game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City needing to match or better Panama’s result against Bolivia to advance.
But US coach Gregg Berhalter’s side never looked like doing enough to seriously threaten a well-drilled Uruguay who advance to the last eight as group winners.
“Just looking at the faces of the staff and the players, we’re bitterly disappointed with the results,” Berhalter said.
“We know that we’re capable of more and in this tournament we didn’t show it. It’s really as simple as that. We should have done better.
“We’ll do a review and figure out what went wrong, why it went wrong, but it’s an empty feeling right now for sure.”
USA captain Christian Pulisic blamed a lack of attacking quality.
“We had a good start and brought a lot of energy, but just didn’t have enough quality,” he said. “We just couldn’t find a solution.”
Hopes of a great escape for Berhalter’s men faded inside the first 30 minutes as news filtered through that Panama had taken a 1-0 lead against Bolivia in Orlando.
US hopes were revived early in the second half after Bolivia equalized, leaving the hosts on course for qualification, provided they continued to hold Uruguay.
Yet the US optimism was punctured just moments later when Uruguay took the lead in controversial circumstances through Mathias Olivera on 66 minutes.
Ronald Araujo’s powerful header from Nicolas de la Cruz’s free-kick was parried away by US goalkeeper Matt Turner, but only into the path of Olivera, who tucked away the rebound.
Replays appeared to show that Olivera was offside when Araujo first made contact with the ball, but despite a lengthy VAR review, Peruvian referee Kevin Ortega ruled that the goal should stand.
“It’s pretty crazy,” Berhalter said. “I don’t understand it, I feel like I know the offside rule pretty well.
“It’s disappointing. It really is. But you know that that happens in football, and we have to live with it.”
The mathematics of qualification looked even more bleak for the US after news that Panama had scored again through Eduardo Guerrero to regain the lead at 2-1, and the final nail in the coffin came when Cesar Yanis added a third for Panama in stoppage time.
The USA’s first-round exit raises fresh questions about the future of Berhalter, who remains deeply unpopular among swathes of American fans.
Berhalter was only reappointed to the US job in June last year following a hiatus after leading the team to the 2022 World Cup.
The nature of Monday’s early exit is certain to reignite debate about whether he is the best man to lead the United States into the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Failure to defeat Uruguay, 14th in the latest FIFA rankings, extends Berhalter’s poor record against top 20 teams.
Berhalter has just five wins in 20 matches against top-20 teams during his reign, and four of those victories came against regional rivals Mexico — who were also eliminated from the Copa in the first round.
That dismal sequence continued after a toothless attacking performance against Uruguay, where the US registered only three shots on goal in a misfiring offensive display.
Defender Antonee Robinson described the officiating as “amateur hour” but stressed responsibility for the defeat lay with the players.
“Just not enough quality in the final third,” Robinson said.
“At the end of the day we weren’t good enough to get the result today. This is on us.”
