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Key events
Homeless Euro 2004
Teams from Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Sweden paraded into Hamburg’s fan zone at the start of the week-long event organised by local charity Anstoss (Kickoff) and was funded by donations.
Kobbie Mainoo, meanwhile, has gone up the Castle Blankenhain stairs to speak to the newspaper journalists. Expect to hear more from him later in these pages.
Sir Keir Starmer says a new Labour government will look into kick-off times and ticket pricing. He’s been chatting to something called Football Weekly.
However, Starmer dismissed suggestions that the package of football regulations could include a proposal to levy a 10% charge on transfers that would then be distributed to lower league clubs.
Thangam Debbonaire, the shadow sports and culture secretary, suggested on Monday she would be open to such an idea, saying: “I’m going to look at absolutely everything that might help increase the financial sustainability.”
But Starmer told an LBC radio phone-in on Tuesday: “Let me just kill that one. We’re not looking at that … We will get that football governance bill in. It’s much needed for fans, but that isn’t part of it.”
West Ham are the latest club to raise prices and cut concession tickets. Their fans are enraged.
Mainoo answered a question on the racist chanting from Serbian fans with notable poise. “I’ve not. I only heard about it on the way over but as it is an ongoing investigation I will leave it to Uefa to decide whatever is going on with it.”
On Ten Hag staying on at Manchester United: “Happy to be building with him, got two trophies hopefully there’s more to come. Peace of mind to know what manager we have when we return. I’m so grateful for him, he put so much trust in me to play in the team. I can’t thank him enough.”
On a delayed start to his first Manchester United season: “[My injury] was a tough one to take. It took me a day or two to sink in. From then it was focusing on getting back and trusting the process and medical team so that I would be in better shape and position to be back.”
There’s a question on Stockport from L’Equipe’s reporter. The motto there these days is “Stockport, it’s not s**t”, and Kobbie relates that he, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer have been kicking back and reminding themselves of youth teams back in the day, their back in the day being as far back as 2014. Are Mellor Boys still going?
Fuller transcript will follow.
“I’m ready to play, whether that’s off the bench or starting. Obviously, there’s other great midfielders in the squad in the Premier League or abroad like Jude [Bellingham]. I’m trying to train hard and be ready when I’m called upon.”
On playing against Danish teammates: “They’re both great team-mates to me, Rasmus is young like me so I am always around him. I am trying to learn and pick up from Christian. If I’m to play on Thursday I’ll have to put that aside.”
“It’s such a good squad, we’ve gelled real well.”
Kobbie’s up, and being asked questions about, er Erik ten Hag, and drinking pickle juice. “It’s always been a dream to play for England,” he says, throwing off questions of playing for Ghana. “I’ve always been confident in tight areas,” he tells famed freelancer Henry Winter, who draws from Kobbie that futsal is one of the foundations of his skill on the ball.
It’s not been a great advert for German logistics, this tournament. Or weather, which reminds of that grainy footage of the 1974 World Cup, which looks like it was played in Ireland in mid-March. The fan parks, as first shown off at the 2006 World Cups, have had their problems, too.
Per Reuters – Berlin’s two Euro 2024 fan zones, which attract tens of thousands of guests for public viewing of matches, will be closed on Tuesday due to an extreme weather warning.
Germany’s weather service has forecast heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail for the wider area around the capital later in the day. There are no matches in Berlin on Tuesday but fans would have gathered at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag areas to watch Georgia take on Turkey in Dortmund before the evening game in Leipzig between Portugal and the Czech Republic.
“Safety of the visitors is the top priority,” said Moritz van Duelmen, of organisers Kulturprojekt Berlin. The fan zones are expected to re-open on Wednesday.
The interview room is filling up at England HQ, the dart board to the left of the stage.
Kobbie Mainoo will shortly appear at England’s press conference. In European football, managers send out players starting the game under discussion; we shall see. But my watch is over, so here’s John Brewin to take you through the rest of the afternoon.
Cadbury have made a Jude Bellingham shirt out of chocolate, of course they have.
A totally sane country.
“Re tongue-swallowing,” begins Stephen Halliday, “I actually watched something very recently that informed me that it’s impossible to swallow one’s own tongue. This was news to me as it’s always slightly scared me that this could happen and what if it happened and nobody knew what to do. Anyway, can’t remember where I saw that but see it I did! Doesn’t take anything away from quick-thinking players over the years who have come to the rescue of a colleague who may have, or probably hadn’t, swallowed their own tongue.”
I guess they called it swallowing one’s tongue but what it actually was the tongue blocking an airway. Bryan Robson, though, who did it – or didn’t do it – against QPR in January 1989, is still nails.
It’s a funny thing really: everyone thinks they should be able to start on England and they’re right, they should, except no one in their right mind can diss chips, curry, or chips and curry.
Here’s the thing: schnitzel is better than baguette, but you’re not comparing like with like, whereas anyone who prefers fondue to goulash needs a swerve.
This is excellent.
“Euro ‘88 is the first major tournament I can remember watching,” writes Kári Tulinius. “I really liked that Soviet side, and Rinat ‘The Cat’ Dasayev became my hero, as I wanted to play in goal. One of the main reasons Marco van Basten’s strike was so special is that he beat one of football’s greatest ever goalkeepers.
Mine is Mexico 86 but I was still fully amped-up with wonder for Euro 88. I liked Dasaev too, but the definitive Euros keeping performance is Peter Schmeichel in 1992 – without him – and, in fairness, Brian Laudrup and Flemming Polvsen – no chance Denmark win that.
“It’s the big mans birthday today too!” emails Chris Webb of Andy Linighan.
Happy bests, here’s his 1993 FA Cup-winning goal; as he’ll no doubt remember, also that day I got suspended from school for setting the floor of the science lab on fire.
“My actual favourite bit of the Savage announcement,” returns James Humphries, “is Heskey being brought in for a ‘position-specific role’. I assume that means he’s gonna knock the team talks down for Owen or Vassell?”
He’s going to coach the strikers who don’t score to get even better at it.
The statement here is sensational.
Macclesfield FC can confirm that Robbie Savage has been appointed first-team head coach with immediate effect. As a result of achieving two promotions as well as reaching a play-off final and Isuzu FA Trophy semi-final within the club’s first three years, it came as no surprise when Robbie was offered a senior role elsewhere recently.
Robbie subsequently agonised over this on numerous levels as it would have meant him relinquishing his role at Macclesfield FC – in addition to his shareholding. This was something which the board was not prepared to let happen and it was unanimously decided that Robbie should be given the chance to prove himself here at Macclesfield FC as he launches his coaching career with us.
How many levels constitute “numerous”? We must be told.
I’m looking forward to seeing Turkey this afternoon – most particularly to watch this lad but also because Vincenzo Montella has got them playing exciting, enterprising football. Kenan Yildiz is another with huge potential, who’s also pretty nifty now, and if they find their tempo, Georgia are in trouble.
Also going on…
And then there’s this vintage Bazza from Euro 92.
Back to Euro 88, though, at that tournament I discovered the fantastic Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko. What a player he was – as Rangers fans will attest.
I mean this is its obvious rival, but any more for any more?
is this great Euros goal also the greatest shinner of all time?
In other news: Joey Barton has apologised to Jeremy Vine and agreed to pay the broadcaster £75,000 in damages to settle a high court libel claim. In a pinned post on X, he said:
“Between 8 and 12 January 2024 I published 11 posts which accused Jeremy Vine of having a
sexual interest in children, and created a hashtag which made the same allegations, which were viewed millions of times. I recognise that this is a…— Joey Barton (@Joey7Barton) June 18, 2024
Real talk: he’ll never top this.
By the way, was anyone expecting N’Golo Kanté to still be able to run about like that?
Oh and here he is again! “Caramel wafer clearly the superior Tunnock’s product, though, you madman,” he advises.
Last time I was in Scotland was for the pre-season Man United v Lyon game. I know, I know, but when else am I getting to watch my team at Murrayfield? And what a row that place must make when it’s full. Anyroad, outside the ground I found them doing 99s which would then be rolled in sour (but not sour enough) sugar. I have infinite respect for this innovation.
‘“Re: not following the pattern,” returns James Humphries. “That’s the thing, isn’t it? I expected a loss (though god help me, I thought we’d mebbe sneak a result, because evidently I do not learn), but we were… flipping… abject. Worst I’ve seen us play since, iirc, the first game of Stevie Clarke’s regime when we got done 3-0 in Kazakhstan. My English mate has been very gracious about it, considering, but bloody hell. Still, Portugal-Czechia should be good, eh?”
A win and a draw from the last two doesn’t seem impossible, but Switzerland just have a way of getting out of groups. That should be a tussle.
First it was Albanian fans taunting their Italian rivals by snapping uncooked spaghetti in front of them.
Then the Austrians followed suit, breaking baguettes in the faces of French fans before their Euro 2024 clash.
Fans flocking to Germany for the month-long tournament are entertaining themselves with good-natured “food wars” looking every bit as spicy as the games themselves.
As well as the desecration of national foods in the streets – which has sparked more laughter than outrage – food banners are springing up in stadiums.
“Fondue better than goulash” read one at Switzerland v Hungary. “Eat Pasta, Run Fasta,” said an Italian poster at the Albanian game. And “Kielbasa (sausage) better than gouda,” boasted Polish fans against the Netherlands.
The food insults have, however, so far proved a bad omen.
Albania lost 2-1 to Italy after their pasta-breaking and Austria were beaten 1-0 by the baguette-loving French.
Host nation Germany is counting its blessings that widely-feared hooligan trouble has been minimal, with more snapped pasta and bread than broken bones and bottles.
“Thank God the violence has not been there. Instead we’re seeing a lot of fun and banter between fans like these hilarious ‘food wars’,” said food stall-holder Roland Koch in Hamburg.
“Just don’t mess with our ‘currywurst’ – or else then there will be trouble, I warn you!,” he added, referring to the ubiquitous sausage and spicy sauce on sale at his kiosk and seemingly every other street corner in Germany.
Goodness me, I’m not surprised England and Scotland have been kept out of this. That said, I’ll fight anyone who desecrates Irn Bru or Tunnocks Tea Cakes.
Mbappé could miss France’s remaining group-stage fixtures with broken nose
Tangentially, you don’t see many players swallowing their tongues these days. I was advised this is because tonsils are no longer removed – can anyone confirm or deny?
On tonsils, by the way, that is a minger of an op and no mistake – the inability to swallow meant bare jelly and ice cream, which sounded good to a six-year-old. It was, in fact, the opposite of good, but it did seem to stop ear infections, so.
And here is it coming up – beautifully so – on Final Score.
That clip is one I discovered researching – OK, Smyth sent it me – Joy of Six ‘houses, ‘housing and ‘housery.
Bright has a quiet one with Linighan…
“Bonjour Daniel,” begins Andrew Benton. “You don’t see many broken noses in top flight football do you (or do you)? Could Kylian Mbappé’s be ‘La fracture du nez la plus célèbre de l’histoire du football international’?? Are there other famous examples? Let’s hope he doesn’t get a ball in the face next match. Vive l’MBM!”
When I think broken noses, I think Steve Bruce, who famously never played at international level (though he did get a run-out for England B) and Andy Linighan (courtesy of Mark Bright). And whenever i think of them, I wonder how Raphaėl Varane – almost unbeatable in the air – remains so excitingly handsome, conk in pristine nick.
“I’d rather have a broken hand than another 90 minutes of that absolute [redacted] we put up against Germany,” says James Humphries. “Might turn down the free tickets though.”
Yeah, it’s not following the Scotland tournament template of brave resistance against the better sides and embarrassment against the lesser. I can see that must be disconcerting.
I am, though, looking forward to seeing how Marc Guéhi does in the rest of the competition. Some players are earmarked to be elite from an early age, and others just rise to every step-up in level. He seems to me to be in the latter group, but at some point things will get much harder – at which point we’ll see what he’s really got. What we can be almost certain of, though, is that his mentality is spot-on.
Obviously there’s plenty of chat about England. Now that you ask, I’d not be binning Phil Foden after one poor game – though I do wonder if he’s England’s best left-wing option. In midfield, though, I don’t really get why Trent Alexander-Arnold is deemed the right pick. A beautiful player, obviously, but midfield is about consistency and the best in the role are the best short passers not the best long passers – think Xavi, Busquets, Iniesta, Keane, Scholes, Modric, Kroos and so on. England have loads of routes to goal and loads of players who can create one out of nothing; what they lack is control, and a bloke in the middle of the pitch who may or may not hit a good ball or shot at some point, instead of someone who knows the role and can do a bit of everything – Kobbie Mainoo or Adam Wharton – doesn’t make loads of sense to me.
A reminder of todays fixtures: we see the first of our Group F sides, so it’s Turkey v Georgia at 5pm BST – I’ll coax you through that one – then it’s Scott Murray bringing you Portugal v Czech Republic.
In that regard, though, I’ve previously absorbed internet aggravation for saying the order does matter. A team hoping to make something happen need a friendly start; a team confident it’ll make something happen want a friendly run-in.
Sky Sports News, of course, are majoring on the day’s big story: the revelation that every Premier League side will play every other Premier League side … both home and away! More news as I get it.
Would you take a broken hand for whatever the compensation might be? What would you be prepared to endure to get to an unmissable game?
Thanks Luke and afternoon all. Football is alright isn’t it?
That’s all from me. Over to Daniel Harris.
In news story form, here’s the thing about Niclas Füllkrug accidentally breaking a supporter’s hand with a wayward warm-up shot before Germany’s opening win over Scotland.
I sense hospitality tickets will be forthcoming for one lucky fan.
Bertrand is asked on Sky what went wrong in England’s Euro 2016 humiliation by Iceland.
“It’s tough to say. If you sit back and, you know … it’s hard to blame any one reason. It’s just one of them things. It didn’t really happen on the day. There’s probably lots of small elements as to why it didn’t work.”
An answer roughly as convincing as England’s display that night.
Anyway … yeah, go on then.
The former Chelsea and England full-back, Ryan Bertrand, has retired from football.
Remember Munich 2012? What a performance.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia of Napoli – a truly original footballer, a free thinker and someone capable of seeing/doing things no one else can – will be lining up for Georgia against Turkey. Tune in if only for that reason.
Georges Mikautadze, who has been banging them in for Metz in Ligue 2, is also one to watch, along with Giorgi Chakvetadze of Watford.
You’ve got a little over five hours to wait for your first helping of Euro football goodness today.
With that in mind, here is the Turkey team guide:
And whatever you do, don’t forget to read Sid Lowe on Real Madrid’s Arda Guler.
Labour will not introduce a 10% tax on Premier League transfers, Sir Keir Starmer has said after reports his party was considering the move.
Shadow culture and sport secretary Thangam Debbonaire sparked reports Labour could introduce the transfer levy on Monday when she said she would “look at everything” proposed in the recent fan-led review of football governance.
Here is David Squires on, among other things, Albania “throwing a frankfurter in Italy’s carbonara” with that very early goal in Group B on Saturday night.
“When you lose the first match, you know you must win the second,” Kevin De Bruyne said last night after Belgium’s profligate, VAR-plagued opening loss against Slovakia. Wise words.
“We’ll try to regroup now and be more effective in the second match,” added the Manchester City virtuoso.
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