I was desperate for glory at Euro 2020, but Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest was a reminder of what really mattersThe hardest part of picking a moment from the sporting year is trying to remember which of them actually happened in 2021. Twelve months that simultaneously took forever and went by in an instant. Perhaps the pandemic. Perhaps just middle age.I’m quietly confident that Euro 2020 did happen – a blur of podcasts, radio shows at Wembley Boxpark, and England reaching the final of a major tournament for the first time in 55 years. Two days before the final I caught myself idly wondering if I actually wanted us to win. Was this the right time? So many England fans have...
Desperate perpetrators and drugs also blamed but report about day of ‘national shame’ cites collective failures“I am not in the business of individual blame. So if people are looking for a report that tries to make scapegoats of individuals you won’t find that.” So said Louise Casey of her comprehensive report into the events in and around the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium on 11 July. “There were collective failures that I identify and were clear. There are also mitigating factors that I describe in the report, in hindsight, as a ‘perfect storm’ that made that final so difficult to manage.”As the 129 pages are picked over, it seems unlikely Lady Casey’s words will stop people looking to hold...
The Euros showed that conservatism still dominates international football, but there are signs the club-style cohesiveness shown by Spain and Italy may be taking overThe broken glass has been cleared. Wembley Way is no longer sticky underfoot. As the sense of shame and disappointment fades, and the knee-zjerk panaceas melt away, it is perhaps worth reflecting that Euro 2020, however disgracefully it ended, was one of the great tournaments, perhaps the best since Euro 2000, and asking what that might mean for next year’s World Cup and beyond.There was a long period in which international football represented the pinnacle of the game; that was where you saw the greatest concentration of the best players. Then in the late 70s, as...
Experience taught me how hard it can be to recover from such a defeat and we all have a part to play in the healing processEngland has had five weeks of being brought together by a group of young men who carry themselves with humility and tried to make the country’s dream come true. It could, however, take those players months to get over losing in the final to Italy.After the 2009 Women’s Euros final defeat by Germany it took me six months before I felt recuperated. I did not recover until after Christmas when I’d had a break and thought I could finally mentally and physically go again. I returned devastated because we as a team had worked so...
The racism, violence and abuse are problems the sport can police, but only wider political and societal forces can solveAnd so, back to black. The Wembley gates have been rushed. Anthems have been booed, stewards punched, murals defaced, racism paraded across social media. The lads are gacked up on Cake and Russel Dust outside Bella Pasta, flicking Vs in little Italy, abusing passers-by in the tube station.A prime minister who has done more than any other person in Britain to enable division and stupidity, has sent a message condemning division and stupidity. A home secretary who employs cynical and divisive rhetoric is “disgusted” to find people have taken her seriously. Related: Boris Johnson's Euros bandwagon-jumping won't get him far |...