VENICE is one of the most iconic cities in the world and attracts 30 million tourists in a normal year. But very few people have ever associated the famous sinking city with football, even though the history of the game … Continue reading Serie A: The creature from the Venetian lagoon rises
Italy’s victory over England in the delayed 2020 European Championships was their second European success and became their sixth major trophy. The Azzurri also won the Olympic Games football competition in 1936 in Berlin. 1934 Gianpiero Combi, Eraldo Monzeglio, Luigi … Continue reading Italy’s trophy winners – from 1934 to 2021
NOBODY should be too surprised that the aftermath of the European Championship final descended into primitive times: the hospitals anticipated increased A&E traffic, people predicted “there will be all hell let loose” if England lost and you just knew that … Continue reading Euro 2020: The result can be brushed aside, but worry about the reputational damage
COVID-19 will prevent UEFA and analysts from really judging if Euro 2020 has been an overwhelming success. The multi-centre structure, spreading the joy across Europe, was … Continue reading Euro 2020: Has Platini’s folly been a success?
EXPECTATION can be a dangerous thing, especially when the outcome of a football match doesn’t only depend on the performance of a single team. England go into their European Championship semi-final with the hopes of a nation resting on their … Continue reading Euro 2020: England expects, but then so does Denmark
FOR a nation of just 11.5 million people, Belgium’s creation of a so-called “golden generation” of footballers was extraordinary. But the problem with a country suddenly coming across a team of excellent players is that too often it is forgotten … Continue reading Belgium’s footballers discover the curse of being laden with gold
