EURO 2024 kicks off on June 14 with host nation Germany facing Scotland in Munich. Germany are one of the favourites to win the European Championship, a competition they have won three times before (1972, 1980, 1996). It’s a tough opener for Scotland, who will be backed by hordes of their supporters, all of whom have been lighting up the Bavarian city of Munich. Germany have the burden of being hosts, but they have coveted young players like Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) and Jamal Musiala (Bayern). One of their younger players, Aleksandar Pavolovic, has had to withdraw from the German squad through illness and has been replaced by Emre Can of Borussia Dortmund.
BVB have just lost their coach after a season in which they reached the UEFA Champions League final. Edin Terzić met with his employers after the final at Wembley and they reached an agreement that he would released from his contract, which ran until 2025. Terzić had been in the job since 2022 but in that time, he took BVB to second place in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. As interim coach, he also won the DFB Pokal. Terzić’s view was the club needed a new man on the touchline to launch a new era. There were times in 2023-24 when Terzić looked likely to lose his job, but the run to Wembley covered up any shortcomings. For all the joy around the unlikely final appearance, he had his critics, notably concerning BVB’s style of play.
IN ITALY, Juventus and AC Milan have appointed new coaches, bringing the total of summer Serie A appointments to eight, with at least another two to come. Juventus have named Bologna’s Thiago Motta as the replacement for Max Allegri, who was sacked two days after Juve won the Coppa Italia. Motta played for Barcelona, Atlético Madrid, Genoa and Inter Milan. In 2023-24, Bologna qualified for next season’s Champions League. Milan, meanwhile, have hired Paulo Fonseca, the former Lille manager. Milan’s Stefano Pioli left “by mutual consent” in May. Fonseca has previously managed Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto.
REAL MADRID moved quickly to confirm they will play in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup after Carlo Ancelotti suggested the club might not be prepared to appear in a tournament that simply allows FIFA to tap into the lucrative club market. He said a single Real Madrid home gave is worth € 20 million to the club, the figure FIFA are offering for the winners of the Club World Cup. FIFA are struggling to find sponsors and the popular opinion is they will look to Saudi Arabia to bankroll the 32-team competition. Of the 32, 12 slots have been allocated to UEFA and the following clubs have qualified: Atlético Madrid, Bayern Munich, Benfica, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Inter Milan, Juventus, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Porto, Real Madrid, Red Bull Salzburg.
GAME OF THE PEOPLE 