Come On, England!
"As Euro 2012 gets under way on June 8 in Poland and Ukraine, a number of countries have reasonable claims to the continental title. Spain, the reigning world and European champion, will try to become the first team to win successive Euro titles, behind the ball-possession clinics run by midfield maestros Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. The German side, full of entertainment at the young feet of Mesut Özil and Thomas Müller, also figures to challenge. Beaten World Cup finalist Holland has an argument to make, as does Italy. Not England. 'We have got to be a bit realistic,' noted Sir Trevor Brooking, director of football for the Football Association (FA), which governs the game in England, in a recent interview. 'For once, the expectations are not great because countries like Spain, Germany and Holland are more favored than ourselves.' "
Articles
Euro 2012 Gaffe: Is Poland a Place for ‘Normal Civilized White People’?
Andrzej Bojanowski, the deputy mayor of Gdansk – one of the four Polish host cities of Euro 2012 – gave football fans, visitors and residents a rather...
Euro 2012: Sonic Cannons and Testicle-Seeking Dogs
Beware, soccer hooligans: if you want to make trouble in Krakow, Poland, you may want to think twice. Amid plenty of worries about rowdy soccer fans in the runup...
Euro 2012 Superfan Dies from Sleep Deprivation
Chinese soccer fan Jiang Xiaoshan died June 19 from exhaustion after staying up 11 nights in a row in an attempt to watch every single European Championship...
Euro 2012: England-France Clash Reprises an International Soccer Paradox
Monday’s France vs. England clash at Euro 2012 (at noon EST on ESPN for U.S. viewers) will serve up a reminder of a longstanding football paradox: The French...
Could Russia Spring a Surprise at Euro 2012?
The occasional hat-trick notwithstanding, Arsenal fans could have been forgiven for wondering in recent years why their club had made Russian captain Andrei...
Euro 2012: Can Cristiano Ronaldo Do a Maradona for Portugal?
England is not the only team going into Euro 2012 with the advantage of low expectations: consider Portugal. Eight years ago, the Selecção came within a whisker...
In Italy, a Soccer Scandal Casts a Shadow Over Euro 2012
When the Italian national soccer team takes the field next week to compete in the 2012 European Championship, it will be one man short. Just after sunrise on May...
Road to Euro 2012 Glory Runs Through a Polish Zoo
Citta, a 33-year-old elephant at the Krakow Zoo, chosen as the tournament's official oracle
Euro 2012: Soccer Gets its War On, But Players Can’t Take the Patriotism Seriously
You might not know it standing in the home stadium at the start of an international football match against an old rival, but most Europeans really aren’t into...
Euro 2012: Why Spain Wins, But Fails to Thrill
One way to understand the lack of excitement produced by Spain in the comfortable march to its third major international title game in just four years is that...
