The UEFA European Football Championship

Okay. Listen up soccer fans. It's time to put aside all this nationalistic and jingoistic nonsense and focus on a more important and overarching goal we can all get behind. Winning me a present!! Yay! So, starting now, everybody want and expect Portugal to win. When talking about who will win, the word 'Portugal' is acceptable as well as this list of substitutes, along with any words, phrases or totems that could reasonably represent the substitutes, that will be assumed to translate to 'Portugal': buttertart, goldfish, xray, Spain, Italy, Germany, England and mullet. When talking about who will lose, all references will be assumed to translate to 'ABP' - anybody but Portugal. Thanks! Yay! :P

With my comment about hatred and defamation I was referring to the BILD - the worst tabloid upon which both articles are based. In fact, it was the tabloids who made a football match look like a nationalistic fight which is really revolting for anyone who loves the game. I do not see how the Euro crisis added friction to the game: the Germans did not invent the Euro crisis and they did not spend Greece's money. The game was as fair as it comes in an important tournament and I did not hear a single word from a Greek or German player that they intended to solve the Euro crisis on a football field. In fact, 3 Greek players live and play in Germany as do hundreds of thousands of Greek people who do not blame "boss of the Eurozone Merkel" on the crisis. Certainly a lot of ill feeling was created in three consecutive Greek elections but still most Greek people know that they cannot just lay the blame on another European government.

I am sure that the Greek players wanted to bring a smile on the faces of suffering fans who are worried about their future but that would have been the case in any match, not just vs Germany.

Unfortunately, there are many unpleasant side effects of an international football event, for example street fights between hooligans or ultras. In the 1998 world cup French policeman David Nivel was nearly killed by German hooligans and only survived with severe handicaps for his whole life. Of course such incidents destroy the fun for the big majority who only want to see their teams in a fair competition. We really do not need pseudo problems in addition to these severe actual problems and if this article is about describing the event as a joy bringer I do not want to read an article when the author starts picking on the host country and making up lies. If he wanted to write about details apart from the field he could have taken a look at the enormous effort the whole country of Poland took to make this event possible in terms of infra structure, housing and fantastic new stadiums. But of course it needs research and respect to do that, it is so much easier to sit in a hotel and make up false stories.

In the mean time my bet is still on Spain :-)

[QUOTE] [b]GratefulFan wrote:[/b]
From the comments:
Angela Merkel arrives at passport control in Athens.
"Nationality?" asks the immigration officer.
"German" she replies.
"Occupation?"
"No, just here for a few days…"[/QUOTE]


Come on, YV, you have to admit, this is a pretty funny joke.

What is it with England and penalties????

That said though, Italy did deserve to win. they were just simply miles ahead in talent....

Italy were dominant for most of the game and Pirlo was well deserved Man of the Match, the penalties we missed were badly taken, rushed and in the case of Mr Cole far too casual

If we were playing for penalties then it backfired badly!!!

The joke is much funnier than your "machine nest" joke, thomasquinn. In Germany we would say that it is so wrong because Angela Merkel comes from the former German Democratic Rep and they were no Nazis, the Nazis all came from the west, Eastern Germany was a heaven of resistance figfhters :-) I think ALL jokes are allowed about politicians but the above posted article was not funny, it was just plain stupid and I cannot laugh about stupidity. I add a cartoon which is not so hateful imo but still refers to the mix up of football and Euro crisis.

As to the England/Italy match - I think England was simply not the better team last night or else they would not have risked to play a shoot out - which they always lose. Italy was a great surprise, they played a very attractive , offensive match, no fouls, no dives, no acting - a great team. The German team has been warned (they have never won against Italy in a tournament!). Now Italy has two days less of recreation before the semi finals and they played 30 minutes over time - this is not what I call equal chances and the UEFA should have avoided such a situation.

[QUOTE] [b]YourValentine wrote:[/b]We really do not need pseudo problems in addition to these severe actual problems and if this article is about describing the event as a joy bringer I do not want to read an article when the author starts picking on the host country and making up lies. If he wanted to write about details apart from the field he could have taken a look at the enormous effort the whole country of Poland took to make this event possible in terms of infra structure, housing and fantastic new stadiums. But of course it needs research and respect to do that, it is so much easier to sit in a hotel and make up false stories.[/QUOTE]
They didn't fly him to Gdansk to write a story on one game. He's covering the entire event, and that's one of about 30 or 40 he's written thus far, often two or three under his byline in a single day. A previous one covered the new stadium and the pride and excitement of citizens eager to show off a modern Poland, people even coming to the new stadium to have wedding photos taken outside of it. While you're fretting about respect for other cultures, maybe you could throw a bone to that particular brand of Canadian humour; dry and light with subtle exaggeration for effect, easily understood here. Easily understood here as well that he's not 'moaning' about his hotel, but illustrating the point about large groups of sponsored attendees in a funny and human way. Failing that, I really hope we can talk about how stupid and ignorant the article was at least 3 or 4 more times.

C'mon Portugal! £420 and Grateful Fan's pressie are on the line!

I listened to the first half on radio here at work just in case my magic juju required it. I don't know who any of those people are! Except they seem to be implying my grandmother, who I called Nanny, is on the pitch. Go Nanny! Or, go trip over some crabgrass Nanny! I'm not sure! :)

[QUOTE] [b]GratefulFan wrote:[/b]
I listened to the first half on radio here at work just in case my magic juju required it. I don't know who any of those people are! Except they seem to be implying my grandmother, who I called Nanny, is on the pitch. Go Nanny! Or, go trip over some crabgrass Nanny! I'm not sure! :)[/QUOTE]


The one name I was having a blast with was one of Portugal's players from either the 2006 World Cup or the 2010 World Cup (I believe it was the former) whose name is Espiritu Santu, which literally translates to Holy Spirit.

Aaaaggghhhh!

Germany all the way!!

If it is Germany that Spain play in the final, then Spain will have to up their game after tonights performance.

Well Nanny might have lost, but that doesn't change the fact that she made the best molasses muffins ever.  I didn't even know she was Portuguese! I probably should have called more often. Sigh. I'm sorry Holly.  So close.  :(  Enjoy the rest of the tournament anyway.  :) They should have let underwear boy kick first.  You all remember underwear boy? :)

I agree, David. This time Spain won through sheer luck, they were far away from the wonder football they played in the last years. It will be a winnable match for either Germany or Italy. I cannot watch the match tonight but my friend in Moscow will record it for me!