EURO 20202021
Words by Dylan Mangan.
Michel Platini should have had it all. European Championship winner with France in 1984, three time Ballon d’Or winner, European Cup winner, French player of the 20th century. A player with enough calibre to lead UEFA into a new world as their President, to push European football into new territory, to even one day take charge as President of FIFA.
Back in 2012, when Platini announced his intention for EURO 2020 to be hosted in “12 or 13 host cities,” it seemed as though this would be the case. A pan-European football tournament showcasing the best cities and football stadiums the continent has to offer, it sounded almost ideal. The usual month of festivities confined to one paltry country could instead be spread across all lands. Nights out in Berlin, fan parks in Madrid, English fans fighting in London instead of abroad. Forget the fact it was a last minute idea borne out of a banking crisis. Forget the heavy criticism from fans surrounding travel costs and distances, who wouldn’t want to spend their summer shelling out even more money than usual to Ryanair, think about the football! Think about Europe!
8, wait sorry, 9 years on and things have changed. Platini’s swift fall from grace was impressive even by world football administrating standards. The European Court of Human Rights, who probably have better things to be dealing with, recently found enough time to give a 9,000 word explanation as to why being banned from football for taking an unexplained payment of 2 million Swiss francs was not a violation of his human rights. He joins Blatter et al in the FIFA Corruption Hall of Fame.
So what, you say, Platini may be gone, but his legacy can live on in the memories made by millions of fans across Europe, can’t it? 51 matches to be played in 31 days at 11 venues suggests something different. 51 matches to be played in 31 days at 11 venues with limited fans during a pandemic shouts something different. It could have been more, had Brussels finished their stadium in time or had the Irish government relaxed restrictions to allow fans into the Aviva, a decision made easier by the Irish team’s failure to qualify.
One positive for fans is that transport links in the cities hosting should be easy to navigate, much easier than travelling around Ukraine for EURO 2012 was at least. Costs will be high though as Europe reopens during the summer and Michael O’Leary - a man who’s only happy with a plane on the ground if it’s in Belarus - is already warning about rising flight prices. A problem raised upon EURO 2020’s conception is only exacerbated by the pandemic. Britain’s desire to take over hosting was, at least at a governmental level, borne out of a need to prove to Europe that they still have powers, but it might not have been a bad idea.
Difficulties for fans will go hand in hand with difficulties for players. Tournament football is never the pinnacle of entertainment in pure footballing terms. The players are usually tired after a long season, and limited time training together means the coordinated attacking football we see at elite club level is harder to pull off. These problems have the potential to be greater this year than before, with a club season like no other behind us. Limited pre-seasons and too many games in too few days have led to injuries and fatigue at a higher level than the average season, so to expect fireworks might be asking too much.
Football is a funny sport, though. In the lines between the corporate greed, shady deals and general ennui, there’s always just enough space left for the game itself, and once the first ball is kicked, the stories and drama we love take over. International football is a slog during the qualification months, but every 2 (or 3) years when a World Cup or EUROs or Copa America or AFCON rocks into town, it comes alive. Those who hold football close will have a special place for the first tournament they remember, a first summer of love, and each tournament has moments and memories to savour. It almost doesn’t matter how FIFA or UEFA or whoever tries to change or ruin things, football the sport retains the power to compel, and this year is no different.
Mbappé could be a one man tournament winner.
France are favourites as reigning World Cup winners, but in truth any one of up to 10 teams could argue their case for winning the final in Wembley on 11th July. England, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Spain and Portugal are all among the best teams in the world, while behind them Croatia, Denmark, Netherlands and Poland all have a mix of quality and togetherness that could fire them to victory.
Some of the narratives coming into the tournament have the potential to provide thrilling stories as well. France are back and somehow better than in 2018, as Karim Benzema - exiled due to a court case involving blackmailing a teammate (I know) - has been recalled, and the prospect of him alongside football’s next best player in the world Kylian Mbappe is tantalising. That’s before you factor in one of the best international players active in Olivier Giroud, who won’t give his place up in the team lightly.
England, in typical English fashion, will have to start their tournament focusing on something other than football, as their fans try to boo Marxism out of existence, but once that’s taken care of their team has the potential to cause chaos. If they can get a defensive system set up correctly, Kane-Grealish-Rashford-Mount-Sterling-Sancho is as potent an attacking unit as you can get. Football may in fact be coming home.
Belgium are towards the end of their most golden generation of players, who might see this as their last chance to win a tournament before a new crop of players is brought through. Ronaldo might think he’s immortal, but at 36 it will be one of his last major tournaments, and he has a brilliant supporting cast in Jota, Bruno and Joao Felix. World Cup runners up Croatia are always dangerous and relish their slight underdog status. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands all have something to prove after varying levels of underperformance in the last 5 years, while Spain might sneak under the radar due to their lack of real stars in this year's squad.
As for the middle tier of teams, Poland have the best striker in the world, Lewandoski, who is fresh off a 41 goal record breaking season. Teams like Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Turkey have squads full of great if not elite players who, under the right tactical setup can cause any team problems, and any of them could make a run to a semi final if not further. The new expanded 24 team tournament means more space for smaller nations, and first time qualifiers Finland and North Macedonia may be minnows but carry with them the potential for upsets - the best part of any tournament.
Platini’s “zany” idea has come to fruition, not in the way he or possibly anyone ever imagined it, but it’s here. A lot has been staked on this tournament, with the women’s EURO 2021 pushed back to next year to accommodate, with players bodies pushed to their limits, with countries letting thousands of fans travel without quarantine restrictions, and with the pressure on this tournament to revitalise fans and media around the world. It could be boring, it could be a disaster, but it will be compelling.
