The greatest living Englishman has been speaking.
Lengthy thread from captain Andy Robertson after Scotland exited the Euros.
Where to even start?! I suppose the first thing to do is to say that we are sorry for falling short in the end. We desperately wanted to make even more history but we didn’t quite get there and it hurts. To captain this country and these boys means the world to me and the feeling I’ve had leading them out in a tournament is impossible to describe! What matters now is that we do all that we can to ensure that this is the start of a wonderful journey rather than the end. We want more. We want to qualify for more tournaments and we want to make the people of this magnificent country even prouder!
We will give everything we have to make this a reality. Scotland it’s been a pleasure.
Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5)
Where to even start?! I suppose the first thing to do is to say that we are sorry for falling short in the end. We desperately wanted to make even more history but we didn’t quite get there and it hurts. pic.twitter.com/Oh9N1FyHuU
June 23, 2021
Judging by this, Uefa’s continuing head-in-sand approach continues to backfire.
That Uefa text in full.
Today, UEFA is proud to wear the colours of the rainbow. It is a symbol that embodies our core values, promoting everything that we believe in - a more just and egalitarian society, tolerant of everyone, regardless of their background, belief or gender.
Some people have interpreted UEFA’s decision to turn down the city of Munich’s request to illuminate the Munich stadium in rainbow colours for a Euro 2020 match as ‘political’. On the contrary, the request itself was political, linked to the Hungarian football team’s presence in the stadium for this evening’s match with Germany. For UEFA, the rainbow is not a political symbol, but a sign of our firm commitment to a more diverse and inclusive society.
See absolute guff here. An object lesson in how to make things more complicated for yourself by attempting to style it out.
UEFA (@UEFA)
June 23, 2021
Right, I’m off for some lunch and I’ll leave you in the accomplished hands of John Brewin.
And here’s some lunchtime reading in the form of today’s Fiver, on Scotland boogieing no more
Some breaking news: PC Benjamin Monk has been found guilty of the manslaughter of the former Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday striker Dalian Atkinson.
Paul Doyle has written about Atkinson’s career here:
You’ll be wanting the latest Golden Boot standings, to settle/start/prolong arguments:
The EU has had its say on yesterday’s big story. AP reports this:
European Commission vice-president Margaritis Schinas can’t find “any reasonable excuse” for Uefa to reject host city Munich’s plans to display rainbow colours during a match between Germany and Hungary at the European Championship, he said Wednesday.
Uefa said it understood the city’s intention to send a message to promote diversity and inclusion but stressed that it was “a politically and religiously neutral organization” after it denied the application to have the stadium illuminated in support of LGBT rights.
“Yes, I find it very difficult to understand what Uefa is trying to do by going against this initiative of the Munich city council,” Schinas said during a news conference ahead of Wednesday’s match. “Frankly, I do not find any reasonable excuse for that.”
Schinas said he was even more surprised by the decision since the governing body of European soccer has previously supported campaigns for inclusion and against racism. “They supported all the good causes. And all of a sudden, they make an issue out of this,” he said.
Uefa, which has the final say as tournament organizer, said it had to decline the request from Munich because of its political context — “a message aiming at a decision taken by the Hungarian national parliament.”
Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter’s application to Uefa made clear the city wanted to protest a law passed by Hungarian lawmakers last week that prohibits sharing with minors any content portraying homosexuality or sex reassignment. The law was denounced as anti-LGBT discrimination by human rights groups.
“Watching the France Portugal 1984 clip I am surprised to hear so many trumpets,” writes AozRoon BTL. “Almost vuvuzelalike. And what a great game!”
That was the thing about watching games from abroad back then: stadiums looked distinct, sounded distinct, and much more exotic, of which perpetual air-horning was a key feature. There’s no real sense with Euro 2020’s stadiums that you know where they are. As a stadium nerd and nostalgist, I do slightly miss the days when eastern European grounds, for instance, were great hulking concrete slabs, adorned with huge imposing floodlight pylons.
You want some serious Germany v Hungary nostalgia? Get a load of the magnificent Magyars’ 8-3 win in 1954 then. Hungary scored 17 (seventeen) goals in their first two matches of that tournament.
And here’s West Germany’s revenge in the final:
Another transfer tidbit: Norwich have re-signed the goalkeeper Angus Gunn from Southampton on a four-year deal. Gunn is the son of former Norwich keeper Bryan of course.
“The odd one out among those Spanish headlines was, of course, Mundo Deportivo with its insouciant preference for Jordi Alba transfer tittle-tattle over the national team’s travails,” writes Charles Antaki. “Not surprising, given its Catalan base, and especially its FC Barcelona boosterism. And if you think that’s a bit partisan, wait till you see the front page of Sport, where you have to use a microscope to find any mention of la selección whatsoever.”
Yep, the relationship between Spain’s domestic football culture and its national team is complicated in places, and fascinating. I seem to recall Phil Ball’s excellent 2001 history, Morbo, being very good on this. Though it was of course written before the national side’s golden age.
It was always inevitable that the unwieldy hosting structure of Euro 2020 would spark grievances and complaints, particularly under varying pandemic restrictions and particularly when it came to the knockout stages. Austria’s coach, Franco Foda, wants their tie with Italy switched because of Britain’s quarantine requirements. This from Reuters:
It “makes no sense” for Austria’s clash with Italy in the last 16 of Euro 2020 on Saturday to be held in London as neither side’s fans can fly there, the Alpine nation’s coach said in remarks published on Wednesday, suggesting a change of venue.
The 24-team tournament is being held in various countries across the continent, each with their own coronavirus travel restrictions and social-distancing rules governing how many spectators can attend matches.
Britain, where coronavirus case numbers have been rising because of the spread of the more contagious Delta variant, has a 10-day quarantine requirement for new arrivals, making it all but impossible for fans in Italy and Austria to attend the last 16 match on Saturday.
“As things stand, there will be almost no Austrian fans in the stadium - or Italian ones, either. It makes no sense to me to play in London,” national coach Franco Foda told Austria’s Kleine Zeitung newspaper.
While making the knockout stage is normal for a powerhouse like Italy, it is a first for Austria, who had never even won a match in the Euros until this tournament. Missing their side’s first appearance in the last 16 is therefore particularly upsetting for Austrian supporters.
“We ... strongly advise against travelling to the second-round match against Italy on June 26, 2021 at Wembley!” Austria’s Foreign Ministry warned on its website.
Foda urged tournament organisers UEFA to intervene.
“I hope for the fans’ sake that a solution can be found. One option would be to change the venue. I hope that as many fans as possible can join. That is my heartfelt desire,” he said.
Some domestic news from the women’s game, and more departures from managerless Manchester United: the Scotland forward Jane Ross will leave Manchester United this month upon the expiry of her contract. The 31-year-old joined United in the summer of 2019 following a season with West Ham and made 34 appearances, scoring seven goals. This follows the exit of the striker Jess Sigsworth, whose departure was announced earlier this week.
Some more ‘very positive’ England reaction from the returning Jordan Henderson, from PA:
“It is very positive,” the Liverpool captain told beIN Sports. “We have won the group. Our objective was to qualify, defensively we have looked solid with the clean sheets.
“We would like to have scored more goals, of course, but overall I think we have got to be pleased and look forward to the next round. When you get to the last 16 it is always going to be tough, always going to be a good team. We just need to be focused on ourselves, be ready and go out there and get a good result …
“I’m delighted to be back on the pitch, it has been a while,” he added. “Delighted to be back, delighted to get three points and to win the group.”
The slightly angsty Spanish mood reflected in the front pages:
The Spanish Football Podcast (@tsf_podcast)
Today's 🇪🇸⚽ headlines:
🗞️ Marca: "We trust in you"
🗞️ AS: "We have to believe"
🗞️ Mundo Deportivo: "Inter in for Alba"
🗞️ Sport: "It's on the line for La Roja"More in the #tsfp Morning Paper Review for patrons ⬇️https://t.co/nPh9ycOlkg pic.twitter.com/V6W4c1QCNq
June 23, 2021
Time to delve BTL and as might be expected there’s the habitual split between those complaining that England are still pretty underwhelming and those complaining about people complaining that England are still pretty underwhelming:
Here’s cavelier5:
I know you should never gauge the mood of the nation using Twitter or BTL here but lordy the amount of people moaning about England is exhausting.
We’ve got through the group with the minimum of fuss, not conceded a goal, seem to have an actual viable plan of how we want to play and all with a very young squad. Of course there are some issues but that’s true for pretty much everyone in the group stages (aside from Italy it seems).
That doesn’t mean we’re going to beat which ever of France, Germany or Portugal we get in the last 16, but some have us beaten before we even consider it. All of those would really rather not have to play England at Wembley quite yet either.
I think I’m broadly in agreement with this, for what it’s worth. England have played better in this tournament than Russia 2018 for my money – they certainly didn’t beat anyone better than the two teams they’ve already beaten this year.
Our man in Bavaria, Nick Ames, seems quite taken with the mood in Munich, with Germany’s stunning improvement against Portugal putting springs in steps ahead of the match with Hungary:
And here’s a front page:
Archie Rhind-Tutt (@archiert1)
Munich paper Abendzeitung with this front page on their sport section tomorrow. A rainbow pepper and a grumpy Viktor Orban. “Stay hot, guys!” the best translation I think. 🤣 https://t.co/dKkUYhrTBH
June 22, 2021
I’ve been rightly chided for forgetting that Italy, too, haven’t conceded a goal in, like, several decades. Perhaps I’m half-living in a parallel universe in which Gareth Bale buried that second-half volley.
Talking of Wales, our own Elis James sparked an entertaining Twitter thread yesterday on his country’s new and unfamiliar status going into their match against Denmark:
Elis James (@elisjames)
Wales v Denmark in Amsterdam on Saturday. I can’t believe we’re now globally recognised as the bad guys
June 21, 2021
If there’s one country that can match England for inward-focused angst and recrimination and general nagging dissatisfaction, it’s Spain. And there’s been plenty of that on the back of two maddening draws in Group E. Luis Enrique, their manager, has compared his team to a bottle of Cava. By that, he doesn’t mean something you indulge in too quickly at the start of the evening necessitating an early, groggy exit a couple of hours later, but this: “I have the feeling that this is like a bottle of cava that is about to be uncorked. As soon as we do take that cork out, as soon as we produce a complete performance and get the kind of win that gives us confidence, our best version will come out.” Sid Lowe has more here:
Is Kieran Trippier the ultimate one-international-goal wonder? Want to know more about non-league representation at tournaments? Well, The Knowledge has dropped to put your fevered minds at rest.
Let’s talk Poland v Sweden then, and Poland’s mood is much improved after their fine draw with Spain, but Sweden are the only side other than England not to have conceded yet. Marcus Christenson and Maciej Slominski preview it here:
Luuk de Jong has left the Netherlands squad due to a knee injury, with it being reported this was caused by a collision with Cody Gapko in training. The striker had made two substitute appearances in a total of 10 minutes playing time during the group stage for Frank de Boer’s team.
OnsOranje (@OnsOranje)
Luuk de Jong will leave our camp because of a knee injury.
Get well soon, @LuukdeJong9! 🧡
June 23, 2021
Looking ahead to this evening, it’s going to be a tough call what games to watch tonight, but few fixtures stir Euros memories like France v Portugal. And here’s Andy Hunter’s big-match preview:
Let’s have a blast of this classic to get us in the mood, back in dim and distant 1984, an era in which TV companies wouldn’t even bother to show every game live in a tournament if no British teams were involved, and in which Michel Platini was still considered one of the game’s forces for good.
There was also the 2000 semi, more famous for Abel Xavier’s meltdown, but another night of drama in what is still the best Euros of them all.
Some reaction from last night. Gareth Southgate reckons England are still improving and look difficult to play against (indeed, the last time England got through a group stage without conceding was 1966):
Jonathan Liew trills over Bukayo Saka:
Barney Ronay is bewitched by Jack Grealish:
Louise Taylor on Modric’s enduring magnificence and Croatia’s raging against the dying of the light:
And Ewan Murray’s report from Hampden:
Morning everyone. And the England fans among you should be feeling a little perkier after last night’s first half against the Czech Republic, which was enough to produce the goal and win that put Gareth Southgate’s side through as group winners. Not least because a goal that involved Bukayo Saka, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling should strike several of the nation’s sweet spots at once. Saka, who plays with the flair and enterprise of a teenager and the intelligence of a 35-year-old, was a particular star, while Grealish also strutted some of the stuff that was being constantly invoked last week.
Then it all got a bit boring and we flicked over to see Scotland and, ah well. Croatia decided to properly shake off their lethargy for the first time this tournament and Steve Clarke’s men had no answer. They at least scored a fine goal, presaging a cracking little spell towards the end of the first half but it wasn’t enough. And, 23 years on from the last one, they can file this latest group-stage exit with all the others (perhaps just behind 82 and 92 and just above 78), though they played a good deal better in 2021 than in 98.
Anyway, we’ve little time to dwell and ponder when the two most intriguing groups of the tournament wrap up today, with every position in them up for grabs. Sweden, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, France, Portugal, Germany and Hungary each have it all to play for. Can’t wait, to be honest.
Anyway, stuff your ears with the latest Euro 2020 Daily and we’ll get down to business.
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