UEFA Euro 2016

[Duque de Bragança]

If you want to catch a glimpse of your team at the base camps here it is:



Before you ask, no fun to be had by pointing out which team has Vichy as base camp: it's Slovakia.

Teams go mostly for camps near the sea, near Paris/Île de France or in the mountains (Alps or Massif Central).
No love for Northern or Eastern France (no Germany or Switzerland in Elsaß sorry).
Marcoussis for Portugal is the base camp of the French national rugby team. Good choice unless the rugby players wrecked the grass in the last training cycle.

[Josquius]

Chances of bombing?
I do think we'll get at least an attempt

Germany is just over in Evian ey, should pop on the boat to go say hello.

[Duque de Bragança]

Chances of bombing? Reduced for England since they are not in Calais. 

[Maladict]

I like that the Welsh are staying in Celtic country.

Russia at Malmaison? That's not Nappy's place is it?

Also, there's a football tournament on?    

[Duque de Bragança]

I like that the Welsh are staying in Celtic country.

Russia at Malmaison? That's not Nappy's place is it?

Also, there's a football tournament on?    

France is Welschland, not many Bretons speak the Brythonic language anyways.

It's more of a Joséphine de Beauharnais place actually. So they said when I visited it.

Euro tournament in France, so yes the Dutch don't seem to qualify there, once more after 1984, when there were only 8 teams qualified. 

[Duque de Bragança]

The latest polemic! In other news, Benzema is still an idiot

Only 6 to 8 black players in the French team, Didier Deschamps is really racist, against whites that is. Self-hatred?  Anti-semitic as well (cue Languish North American canard) and anti-asian too.

Interestingly enough, Benzema feels more Algerian, at least in public statements but prefers playing for France, since the pay is better I guess. As for the sex-tape scandal, calling somebody a faggot over the phone (tarlouze) does not indicate friendly intentions usually. Not even for the new generation as Benzema claimed.

https://www.afp.com/en/news/829/benzema-says-deschamps-bowed-racists-over-euro-snub

France's top scorer Karim Benzema on Wednesday accused coach Didier Deschamps of bowing to pressure from a "racist" political party (sic parte in Castilian does not have this meaning) by not choosing him for the country's Euro 2016 squad.

The Real Madrid striker, who is being investigated over an alleged sex-tape blackmail case, questioned whether Deschamps left him out because of his Algerian descent.

The comments echo similar accusations from French legend Eric Cantona, who last week said Deschamps had excluded Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa because of their North African heritage -- drawing a threat of legal action from the coach's lawyer.

Benzema told Spanish daily Marca that Deschamps "bowed to pressure from a racist French party" in his selection, referencing the recent electoral success of France's far-right National Front.


Didier Deschamps has excluded Karim Benzema and Hatem Ben Arfa from the France Euro 2016 squad
"I do not know if this decision was only down to Didier, because I get along with him, with the president (of the French Football Federation, Noel Le Graet) and everyone," he said.

Benzema was suspended from international duty in December over a legal investigation into an alleged attempt by one of his friends to blackmail his teammate Mathieu Valbuena over a sex tape.

France's leading goal-scorer faces up to five years in jail over accusations he encouraged Valbuena to pay the blackmailers.

"They said I cannot be selected, fine. But on a sporting level, I don't understand why," he said.

"At a legal level, I am still innocent until proven guilty. They should wait until the justice system has made its decision."

- Sex-tape inquiry -

Benzema remains France's top striker, with 27 goals in 81 appearances, despite the emergence of the younger Antoine Griezmann and Anthony Martial.

Karim Benzema tweeted: "Unfortunately for me and for those who have always backed me and supported me, I will not be selected for our Euro in France"
His path to the French Euro 2016 squad was cleared when legal restrictions stopping him playing on the same team as Valbuena were lifted.

But French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and other politicians have opposed any rehabilitation while the sex-tape inquiry goes on.

"The only person who knows what happened in this affair, who knows the truth, is Valbuena," Benzema told Marca.

"He played a role, he has not told the truth. I wanted to help him, nothing more, and the whole thing blew up in my face."

The exclusion of Ben Arfa and Benzema from the national squad has caused waves in France, which is struggling with racial tensions after two deadly terrorist attacks in Paris.

Ben Arfa, of Tunisian origin, had been hopeful of making the squad after relaunching his career at Nice, but instead had to settle for a place on Deschamps's standby list of eight players.

Adding to the controversy, Cantona said in fresh comments published in Le Journal du Dimanche that without the two players, the squad does not reflect the France he loves.

Deschamps has refused to comment on Cantona's accusations, although his lawyer last week said he planned to take legal action.

FFF president Graet dismissed Cantona's initial comments as "stupid" and "pathetic".

[Zanza]

Germany sadly didn't nominate Reus as he is injured again. Too bad for him, always missing the big tournaments.

[alfred russel]

Podolski plays in Turkey?! Dude's crazy.

Go England, ffs, Go England.

So what is the conventional wisdom for England's performance and the impact on the Brexit referendum? If they do well, a euphoric British nation believes it can rise above Europe from the outside? Or that this whole Europe thing is a lot of fun and they want to stay a part of it?

And if they do poorly (the likely outcome, I think), a defeated country will lack the confidence to go out on their own, or a grumpy country will want to tell its neighbors to get off its lawn?

[Duque de Bragança]

Podolski plays in Turkey?! Dude's crazy.

Go England, ffs, Go England.

So what is the conventional wisdom for England's performance and the impact on the Brexit referendum? If they do well, a euphoric British nation believes it can rise above Europe from the outside? Or that this whole Europe thing is a lot of fun and they want to stay a part of it?

And if they do poorly (the likely outcome, I think), a defeated country will lack the confidence to go out on their own, or a grumpy country will want to tell its neighbors to get off its lawn?

If England is out of the tournament by the end of the group phase (dubious), by the round of 16, Brexit wins as a revenge against UEFA/EU etc.   
By Quarter finals and later, Brexit becomes more and more improbable.

[Maladict]

Allowed to win: (in order)

Belgium
France
Italy
Germany



Not allowed to win: (in order)

Portugal (no explanation needed)
England (the inevitable "we suck, we're never going to win, OMG WE CAN WIN THIS, no we didn't, of course we didn't, we suck" is the closest I'll get to watching Holland play)
Spain (still haven't got over 2010)
Russia (doped assholes)


Anyone else winning would be hilarious.

[Duque de Bragança]

Allowed to win: (in order)

Belgium
France
Italy
Germany



Not allowed to win: (in order)

Portugal (for beating the Netherlands repeatedly)
England (the inevitable "we suck, we're never going to win, OMG WE CAN WIN THIS, no we didn't, of course we didn't, we suck" is the closest I'll get to watching Holland play)
Spain (still haven't got over 2010)
Russia (doped assholes)


Anyone else winning would be hilarious.

Fixed!
More seriously, Germany allowed to win for a Dutchman? 

[Maladict]

Fixed!
More seriously, Germany allowed to win for a Dutchman? 

I know, standards have slipped 

but they're just not as insufferable and annoying

[Zanza]

Daily Mail has Deutschland über alles as German anthem. At least some thing can be relied upon. 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3626898/EURO-2016-GROUP-C-GUIDE-Germany-tackle-Poland-Ukraine-Northern-Ireland.html

[Valmy]

Northern Ireland, Ireland, Wales, and England all made it eh? Scotland.

[dps]

According to the French press, one notable fact is Kevin Trapp not being among the three German goalkeepers. He's the current goalkeeper of Paris Saint-Germain.
Trapp à la trappe, says the franco press ( untranslatable pun intended).

I'm not sure it's untranslatable.  "Trap" is another name for "goal";  "Trapp of the trap" seems a reasonable pun to me.