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One final game of this year’s European Championship, and we must then resign ourselves to the inundation of transfer gossip that puts even our neighbourhood aunties to shame. The Euros are a much needed filler of International Football in the life of a football fan. Statistically speaking, it could be the toughest tournament in the world as the Euros generally have a higher average team ranking compared to the World Cup. Sure that’s just statistically speaking, but it definitely ensures that you’ve got quality football on display for a month during the off-season. For that reason, the Euros will always have a special place in my heart. So as the curtains come down on yet another installment of the Euros, here’s a look at the things Euro 2012 has taught us so far.
#5. Racism is still very much alive in Europe
Euro 2012 was marred by racism even before the opening match kicked-off. Video footage of racist and violent incidents at recent club matches in Ukraine surfaced in the media, only adding more fuel to the fire.
Even when the European football governing body UEFA vowed to crack down on racism at the championships, players continued to face abuse from racist fans. Dutch players were subjected to monkey chants in an open training session; Italian forward Mario Balotelli was also reportedly the subject of racist abuse during his side’s 1-1 draw against Spain.
The images of drunken brawls between fans of Russia and Poland, followed by allegations of racism involving fans of Spain, Croatia, Poland and Russia shows that football still attracts some unwanted followers.
#4. NOW can we bring in the technology?
The past few footballing tournaments have seen incidents that just leave the game begging for Goal-Line Technology (GLT). England was famously undone by the incorrect ruling of the referee in their tie against Germany in the World Cup in South Africa.
Well, this time around, they got on the luckier side of a system that desperately requires GLT. In their final group fixture against Ukraine, Marko Devic’s attempt seemed to have crossed the line before being hooked clear by John Terry. Now, under Platini, UEFA introduced extra officials to stand closer to the lines in order to spot incidents exactly like the one above. However, in this case, both the extra official (standing just a few feet away) as well as the referee completely missed what Goal-Line technology certainly would have spotted.
Oops.
Ukraine was denied a crucial goal, and Platini was presumably left blushing. For everyone’s sake, let’s just bring in the technology now.
#3. Tiki taka need not equate to beautiful football
It’s no secret that Spain has nearly perfected the Tiki-Taka brand of football that seems to be gaining so much prevalence in football today. They are absolute pass masters on the field, and throughout this tournament, they’ve managed to pass the ball to death. However, in the absence of David Villa, their game seems to lack that serrated edge. With around a whopping 800 passes per game in the tournament, at times one gets the feeling that Spain is lacking direction in their play. This was especially evident in their semi-final tie against Portugal, where Spain seemed clueless when trying to play a final penetrating pass.
People often associate Tiki-Taka with beautiful football, but Spain has shown in their previous two fixtures that this isn’t always the case. With all that passing, Spain only had a few chances to show for it. Granted, they eventually got the job done, but it was far from the beautiful attacking flair that we’re used to seeing from Spain in the past, or from the Brazilian Samba for that matter.
#2. The Future of Football is in good hands
Euro 2012 has seen the appearance of quite a few bright young talents taking to the big stage. Spain’s Jordi Alba is one of them. The young left-back is a highly promising candidate to the modern brand of football. His swift darts down the pitch, determined defending, and generous play has seen him get snapped up by FC Barcelona already, thus making him one to definitely watch in the coming years. Besides Alba, Euro 2012 has also seen starlets such as Alan Dzagoev, Marco Reus, Andre Schurrle and Christian Eriksen. These wonder-kids have exhibited unbelievable amounts of confidence and tenacity on the big stage, deservedly earning their names on the team sheets amongst the biggest names of European football. Who can forget everybody’s favourite, Mario Balotelli? Scoring two scorchers in the semi-finals of the Euros is no mean feat. Balotelli and co. have shown that the upcoming talent is a force to be reckoned with; an emphatic statement to remember their names. The future of football looks bright indeed.
#1. Some things just haven’t changed
It’s tough to alter the psyche of a national football team, and so historically the fate of most teams has remained constant. The Netherlands once again have succumbed to their internal bickering. Time and again, the Netherlands has fielded a team that starts off as tournament favourites but then eventually fails to make any significant progress. With all the goal-scoring form on his side, Robin Van Persie failed to show up for Euro 2012, and the same can be said of the entire Dutch team as a whole.
Germany too failed to exorcise the demons of their past, falling to the same fate as they have in recent years.
“So close yet so far”
That, my friends, in one line, has summarised German football in the past decade.
It has been a decade of utter frustration for the Germans. They’ve come agonisingly close in almost every major tournament only to fall apart when it matters most. Germany’s loss to Italy this time showed just that as they seemed to switch off for most periods of that semi-final fixture.
However, another side to the same story is the Italian fairytale. The Italian national football team never seems able to escape the grip of scandal and controversy. Whether it’s the 1982 Paolo Rossi betting scandal or the more recent match fixing scandals of 2006 and 2012, the Italians have always found a way to pull through. The unity of the Italians in these circumstances is remarkable. When everything else around them appears to be crumbling, the Italians find a steely resolve to overcome the odds. They won the World Cup in 1982; they won the World Cup in ’06, they’re in the finals of Euro ’12. If that isn’t championship psyche, I don’t know what is.
