Thoughts About Sport
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Euro 2012: 10 Days to go!
After a short break from domestic games, the nations of Europe are about to battle it out in Poland & Ukraine to determine the European Champions. Spain won it 4 years ago when they defeated Germany 1-0 with a Fernando Torres goal (they then went on to become World champions 2 years later), but who do you expect to win this year?
Football fans have been treated to a truly entertaining season; with one of the most exhilarating title fight (that went to the very last seconds of the very last game) between the Manchester clubs. Chelsea sacked their manager after struggling in the league – they then went on to win both the FA Cup & Champions League with interim manager Roberto Di Matteo. Real Madrid managed to clinch the Spanish title, with many fans not used to Barcelona sitting below the top spot (although they did win the Copa Del Ray). Bolton’s Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the pitch during a game against Tottenham – bringing the whole of the footballing community together with ‘#Pray4Muamba’ being tweeted 685,721 times.
With such an entertaining season finally over, it’s the time every football fan loves – getting behind their country in a big international competition! As an England fan, I was able to watch the Euros as a neutral in 2008. I was one of the unlucky fans at Wembley when England failed to make the Euros. This was something I was inevitably unhappy about, but it gave me an opportunity to sit back and enjoy the quality and excitement of international football without the tension, emotion and disappointment!
There are 16 countries that have qualified for the European Championships:
Poland, Greece, Russia, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Republic of Ireland, Croatia, Ukraine, Sweden, France & England.
Joint hosts Poland kick-off the tournament against Greece on 8th June and the final will be played on the 1st July. You can take a look at the tournament map yourself.
So who will you be supporting? Your own country, I’m sure. But what about all of you neutrals? The European Championships are one of the most entertaining spectacles as a neutral viewer, so be ready to enjoy watching some magical games of football!
