Euro 2020/2021

[Valmy]

Nope, not the same way. Home advantage, without biased refereeing, I can accept without problem.
Though England getting to play in the mild English "summer" vs the other ones playing in the scorching continental summer is pushing it. But then, Platini is to blame for this bloody tournament formula.

Ah I see what you are talking about. Trying to understand how exactly this damn tournament works, why people are playing in Budapest and Bucharest and London and...whatever...seems to require extensive research I haven't put in yet.

[Threviel]

Ahhh, the good old days of WC 2006. Little did the world know that the major tournaments would not have a worthy winner until WC 2014. 8 years wasted for the football world.

[Duque de Bragança]

Oh yeah  Maluda or Thierry Henry diving (or handballing later) is so sportmanslike and decent indeed.

What is this whataboutism? Anyway that was just French élan on glorious display.

Not whataboutism, just a reminder of facts. Next time, don't throw stones from your glass house.

Besides, true French élan is not about eating the grass but going bravely forward.  How dare you?! 

Who said anything about hating France? Maybe some plutocrat who claimed there was not a French culture but not me that's for sure. 

I just couldn't figure out why else one would declare the perfidious and false 2006 Italian team as decent and sportsmanlike

Did not say so but by your own criteria "whatever it takes since otherwise it's disadvantage etc" you should love them when they do it. As for exploiting a weakness in a adversary (temper), well that's original.

France ≠ Les Bleus. 

How dare you!

I have to supporter (verb in the French sense not English) dumb and ignorant French football "fans" all year long so yes I dare.
Luckily for them and fortunately for France, England has got even worse at home and abroad.

[Duque de Bragança]

Ahhh, the good old days of WC 2006. Little did the world know that the major tournaments would not have a worthy winner until WC 2014. 8 years wasted for the football world.

I take it 2016 was fine as well for you. 

[Threviel]

Well, France didn't win, so that's a plus.

[Valmy]

Not whataboutism, just a reminder of facts. Next time, don't throw stones from your glass house.

I never claimed that France was decent and sportsmanlike though

Besides, true French élan is not about eating the grass but going bravely forward.  How dare you?! 

It is eating grass pour la France!

Did not say so but by your own criteria "whatever it takes since otherwise it's disadvantage etc" you should love them when they do it. As for exploiting a weakness in a adversary (temper), well that's original.

I mean I would...but since they are not my team I hate them. Which is really the highest respect I can pay to an opponent. If I like you that only means you suck.

I have to supporter (verb in the French sense not English) dumb and ignorant French football "fans" all year long so yes I dare.
Luckily for them and fortunately for France, England has got even worse at home and abroad.

Having loads of idiotic annoying fans just means you are popular, as most people are idiotic and annoying.

[Duque de Bragança]

Well, France didn't win, so that's a plus.

Good one!

Mono disagrees however.

[Duque de Bragança]

Not whataboutism, just a reminder of facts. Next time, don't throw stones from your glass house.

I never claimed that France was decent and sportsmanlike though

Unlike French media and most French supporters? Stop lying (stating alternative facts is that the way you say so over there now?).
I still remember the time when French referees such as Marc Bâtard were allegedly the best as well. The latter changed however, specially after  his spell at training future French referees for the Ligue des Tas Lents.

Besides, true French élan is not about eating the grass but going bravely forward.  How dare you?! 

It is eating grass pour la France!

There are cows in Normandy and elsewhere which are much better for that purpose.

Did not say so but by your own criteria "whatever it takes since otherwise it's disadvantage etc" you should love them when they do it. As for exploiting a weakness in a adversary (temper), well that's original.

I mean I would...but since they are not my team I hate them. Which is really the highest respect I can pay to an opponent. If I like you that only means you suck.

Yet, you like France/les Bleus. Does it mean they suck? 

I have to supporter (verb in the French sense not English) dumb and ignorant French football "fans" all year long so yes I dare.
Luckily for them and fortunately for France, England has got even worse at home and abroad.

Having loads of idiotic annoying fans just means you are popular, as most people are idiotic and annoying.

Wrong, England has loads of idiotic and annoying fans, yet the team is not exactly popular beyond the white cliffs of Dover, the Hadrian Wall, the Wales border, you get the idea.

[Valmy]

Look I just watch the matches, I don't know what the fuck the French media or fans are saying. My biased narrative is entirely my own.

And if I was a fan of Germany or Spain or something and I liked France then yes that would mean they suck. But since I am a fan of the USA and France it says nothing about whether or not they suck. I love them both no matter how bad or good they happen to currently be. I think that irrational position at least has some kind of perverse internal consistency to it

And even if I accept the notion that nobody at all outside of England likes the English team, lots of English people do. And I think recent history has shown lots of them are morons.

[Duque de Bragança]

That's not how a worshipper of Reason, the Supreme Being, should behave, civic virtue etc. but that will do. 

[Sheilbh]

So whats needed is a complete rewrite of how England tickets are handled.
Link this hooliganism to the club England lot  and crush it.

Totally agree - and this is stuff that I would expect clubs to make a deal of lifetime bans.

England has been cheating for a long time (1966), but also Germany (1954 or 1974 schwalbe) or France for that matter.

Yeah - that's basically my point

Calling Italy master of the Dark arts is so tabloid-like.

It's a common phrase in journalism and journalism only - like "boffin" or "growing clamour"

I think - and this could just be misremembering Damned United - but I think it comes from Don Revie's Leeds and something Brian Clough said (and in 1970s England that meant potentially career-ending tackles and violence). But it's used a fair amount for either teams that commit a lot of fouls and get away with it, or win a lot of fouls they shouldn't - but also in politics if, for example, a party is very good at spin then they'll be called masters of the dark arts.

That said, I hope they beat England. The English fans are just too unsympathetic.

Sadly, fair

Though England getting to play in the mild English "summer" vs the other ones playing in the scorching continental summer is pushing it. But then, Platini is to blame for this bloody tournament formula.

Agreed on Platini - I also think travel played a big part. It's been noted here that all four of the semi-finalists were teams who played most of their group games at home.

Ah I see what you are talking about. Trying to understand how exactly this damn tournament works, why people are playing in Budapest and Bucharest and London and...whatever...seems to require extensive research I haven't put in yet.

I think it is just a Platini vanity project. It seemed a bit tasteless in the general context of climate, but in covid I think it's been a really bad idea and it would have been better to basically admit defeat on the cross continent project (especially the games in Baku) and play it all in, say, Germany, Italy, England, Benelux, France or any reasonable region that could host it. And I think they could have decided that in 2020 when they postponed it so they had a chance to prepare.

Edit: And beyond the football the multi-fights around rainbows will be something I remember in this tournament - and for the final the little car will be in rainbow colours

[Valmy]

That's not how a worshipper of Reason, the Supreme Being, should behave, civic virtue etc. but that will do. 

Indeed it is not.

I try to funnel all my irrational ancient regime superstitious bullshit into sports

[Richard Hakluyt]

I dislike the Italian team since they beat Germany in the 2006 world cup.

That said, I hope they beat England. The English fans are just too unsympathetic.

Edit: Used obnoxious first, but that's too strong.

They are so unsympathetic that I am indifferent as to which team wins the final.

[celedhring]

I curse you England for making me root for Italy   

[Josquius]

A thought - with this tournament has the slim chance of having a major tournament in the UK again for the foreseeable future vanished?