What certainly is escalating are confrontations between players and fans – as in the Colombia v Uruguay Copa América semi-final which concluded with what the media likes to call “ugly scenes”. [Where do they get these journalists from?] Not because the crowd confronted players on the pitch but because half a dozen players entered the crowd to take on some fans. It was later said that this was in retribution against some Uruguay fans were threatening family members of the team.
Still, we do have players back at home – including of course people like Martin Ødegaard – who has the fortune or misfortune to play for Norway who don’t qualify much. He’s now had his break and is doing interviews saying he has been having a good rest but he would sooner have been at the Euros.
He also took up Untold’s theme (although I’ve no evidence that he reads us) that the new financial regulations in football mean that the chitchat about signings is probably even more irrelevant than ever.
What I particularly liked was the fact (ignored by most papers and blogs) that Ødegaard questioned whether Arsenal need a new centre-forward given the way Havertz played in the latter part of last season for Arsenal and for Germany.
But meanwhile, there is no getting away from football and alcohol, as the Mail reports that Declan Rice vows to drink his first EVER pint of beer if England win Euro 2024.
Elsewhere, from Switzerland comes the news that FC Aigle of the second division who won the Coupe Vaudoise will be banned from the competition for three years because of the behaviour of their supporters during the cup final last May.
Can you imagine the outcry if England had been banned from the Euros following the chaos at Wembley at the 2020 final? But of course no, that sort of action would not have been taken, because, well, it was England, and England is the home of football.
Anyway, for everyone who likes international football and who supports England I hope you have a jolly time on Sunday. And maybe one day football might wake up to the fact that some of us spend a lot of time and money supporting our team, and actually don’t really care about the national side. So yes of course cover the England games on English TV and the media, but just don’t assume that we are all interested, just because we support a team that plays in the Premier League.
And by the way if Arsenal do sign the defender Riccardo Calafiori from Bologna and Raphinha the winger from Barcelona, (according to the Standard) while selling Jakub Kiwior (Daily Mail), don’t expect to see that covered much either. We’ll take a good look, but I can’t be sure anyone else will. What with the international being on.
