Euro 2020/2021

[Sheilbh]

No idea - but he has form for this in Liverpool as well.

I think he is a decent guy. I understand he was fairly important in the players response to covid when they were being targeted by the government and acts as a bit of a shop steward for Premier League captains.

But as you say he has form on being a very visible and pretty vocal LGBT ally in the last few years, and, I have no idea, but I've also wondered if he had a personal connection like gay family or friends.

[The Larch]

It seems that Spain is looking for local supporters towards tomorrow's game, given how fans can't travel from Spain to attend it. 

[Sheilbh]

We'll see. I expect Spain v Italy to have very strong Spanish and Italian support given that there's about 500k of each in the UK, a lot in London.

Ticket prices are insane but I wonder how many maybe took a gamble on getting a ticket to the semi-final on that side of the draw anyway

[Jacob]

The fact that Danish fans can't travel is getting some serious discussion in Denmark. Apparently several parties want the government to pressure Boris Johnson to help address the situation.

The players themselves seem to take the attitude that advantage or disadvantage it's just going to be awesome to play in front of a full stadium. So what if they're going to be supporting the other team?

[Sheilbh]

The fact that Danish fans can't travel is getting some serious discussion in Denmark. Apparently several parties want the government to pressure Boris Johnson to help address the situation.

Yeah - it's really unfortunate and it seems like Denmark should be on the green list. There's a few factors that have been identified as informing the decision - the only one I suspect is causing issues with Denmark is vaccination rate.

And frankly the government chose to give in to more relaxed rules for UEFA's "football family" who can travel anywhere without quarantining. It feels a little bit symbolic of football right now that that will happen while actual fans from countries with low cases and good vaccine progress are effectively locked out

The players themselves seem to take the attitude that advantage or disadvantage it's just going to be awesome to play in front of a full stadium. So what if they're going to be supporting the other team?

I think Denmark are playing with a different type of momentum - and it is going to be crazy. This whole tournament seeing fans back changes the football. And there may be a decent number of Scottish or Welsh or Irish (or any other nationality) fans who will be cheering on Denmark  

For example Max Rushden had an anecdote of seeing two Germany fans in Germany shirts, with German flags on their faces after the game. He went up to sort of commiserate and be a nice guy - turned out they were both from Cork

[The Larch]

Ticket prices are insane but I wonder how many maybe took a gamble on getting a ticket to the semi-final on that side of the draw anyway

Yeah, in fact most of the messages to the official post are people asking for financial support to the Spanish federation to be able to attend the game, with messages like "it's like half a month's rent, mate!".

[Syt]

And frankly the government chose to give in to more relaxed rules for UEFA's "football family" who can travel anywhere without quarantining. It feels a little bit symbolic of football right now that that will happen while actual fans from countries with low cases and good vaccine progress are effectively locked out

My impression of UEFA (and FIFA, and IOC ...) is they care only about about money from TV and sponsors. For both they need:
- full stadiums for the "atmosphere" (regardless of whose ass is in the seats)
- many televised matches (hence the expansion of Euro and World Cup fields)

[Sheilbh]

So I always thought the reason there were so many games in Wembley was because of covid but apparently that's wrong (aside from the UK being willing to meet UEFA's conditions ).

The original plan was Wembley would host the semis and the final - but didn't have any group games or round of 16. They were supposed to be hosted in Brussels in a newly built stadium but in 2017 when they still didn't have planning permission Belgium and UEFA agreed the stadium probably wouldn't be finished in time (and is still not under construction - here's hoping it joins the refurbishment of the Palais de Justice as one of those weird Belgian things: the stadium that doesn't exist down the road from the refurbishment scaffolding that has been up so long it needs its own refurbishment)

Those games were then awarded to Wembley instead - it seems a bit weird that they didn't just find another stadium in Belgium because I'm sure they're good/big enough for UEFA (I think Benelux as a region have bid for the Euros before, but I might be wrong). But I think I see anything these days and my default explanation is: well, covid.

Separately great piece by Nicky Bandini on Spain-Italy:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/jul/06/roberto-mancini-italy-plot-to-overtake-spain-after-following-in-footsteps-euro-2020

I still think Italy will win, but am getting less confident in that prediction (regularly hovering over the Languish pool picks) by the hour

[The Larch]

Hey Sheilbh, here's Squires' take on inflatable unicorns. 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2021/jul/06/david-squires-on-england-inflatable-unicorns-and-the-euro-2020-semi-finals

Now after laughing a bit, here's the FT throwing shade at Southgate and the England team for its wokeness.

Can Gareth Southgate deliver both victory and progressive patriotism?
The England football manager is in a powerful political position, and he knows it


The prospect that England might win a major football tournament for the first time in 55 years will transfix the country over the coming week. Over 26m people, almost half the population of England, tuned in to watch the win against Ukraine on Saturday. Hysteria is building steadily ahead of a semi-final on Wednesday and a possible final at the weekend.

For the Johnson government the symbolism of an England triumph, just six months after Brexit, would be delightful. The prime minister has so far resisted the temptation to make the connection, but some of his allies have been less restrained. After England beat Germany, Lord Moylan, a former Johnson aide, crowed: "Poor Germans, this wasn't the Brexit narrative fed them by their press, was it?"

But any effort to fit the England team into a narrative of post-Brexit national resurgence faces a significant problem. Gareth Southgate, the team's manager, seems to be playing for the other side in England's culture war.

Southgate is pretty clearly a Remainer. In a TV documentary in 2018, he spoke about the "racial undertones" that he felt surrounded the Brexit campaign. Around the same time, he argued that Brexit had divided the country between young people who identified with Europe and "want to travel the world"; and an older generation "pining for something that isn't there any more".

These low-key political interventions are not accidental. Unusually for a football coach, Southgate's preparation for Euro 2020 included writing a long essay on the nature of patriotism. The article, published earlier this month, was entitled — "Dear England".

In it, Southgate gently distanced the England team from the chauvinism of some of its supporters. Tommy Robinson, a prominent far-right activist, was arrested at an England game in Portugal last year. England fans regularly sing songs about the second world war. (I heard fans belt out "Ten German bombers" in the bars at Wembley Stadium before England games last week). Southgate noted that his own grandfather was a "fierce patriot and a proud military man who served during World War Two". He stressed his own pride in Queen and country. But he then added: "On this island, we have a desire to protect our values and traditions — as we should — but that shouldn't come at the expense of introspection and progress."

In the run-up to the tournament, the England team was booed by some of its own fans for "taking the knee" ahead of games as a protest against racial injustice. Lee Anderson, a Tory MP, claimed to be so annoyed by the gesture that he would stop watching the England team in protest. (One wonders if his resolution is wavering as England progress through the tournament?) Priti Patel, the home secretary, accused the players of indulging in gesture politics.

Southgate has not only supported his team's decision to take the knee. In his patriotism essay, he went further and argued that "it's their duty to continue to interact with the public on matters such as equality, inclusivity and racial injustice".

Even before the England team began to win games in the European championships, the significance of Southgate's stances had struck the political class. Keir Starmer, the leader of the Labour party, retweeted Southgate's essay on patriotism, adding: "This is England". Some Labour sympathisers grumbled that the England manager had managed to produce a more articulate statement of "progressive patriotism" than Starmer himself ever had.

Conservatives and Johnson supporters are less ecstatic. Some seem to believe that Southgate is becoming a tool of deep Woke — with one Tory strategist telling me that the England manager's patriotism essay was "suspiciously well-written".

If England actually win the tournament later this week, Southgate and his players will become national heroes — comfortably more popular than Boris Johnson. The England team and its manager will be in a powerful political position and have already shown a willingness to embrace their platform. Marcus Rashford, the Manchester United striker (who has so far mainly been a reserve during this tournament), led campaigns against child hunger over the past year that forced changes in government policy. Raheem Sterling, the team's star, has highlighted racism in the media. Harry Kane, the captain, wore a rainbow armband to mark pride month.

But, before anybody gets too excited about England's woke winners, a reality check is in order. There is no doubt that sporting success creates shared national memories. But its ability to effect lasting political change is more dubious. After France won the World Cup in 1998, with a multiracial side described as "Black, blanc, beur", some theorised that the country would now embrace its multiracial identity. But in subsequent years the far-right has grown in strength. When the opening ceremony for the London Olympics celebrated immigration and the NHS, the British left lauded the moment as a symbol of the country's new progressive identity. Four years later, Britain voted for Brexit.

The truth is that sport is wonderful at creating fleeting moments of euphoria. Lasting social or political change is a much bigger ask.

I wonder about that "suspiciously well-written" comment about Southgate's essay. Is it implying that it was ghostwritten? That no footballer could be eloquent enough?

[Josquius]

Ugh. Caught my sister sharing a post from 'turning point uk' on facebook. A video of some school kids dancing to vindaloo which was apparently banned due to  "AntI WOKE zealots!".
They're insidious.

More football wise today should be a good one. Not sure who I support.

[clandestino]

Fuerza España! 

[The Larch]

Fuerza España! 

Hell has frozen over! 

In a different topic, I didn't realize that Italy's technical team is all made of former Sampdoria players.

[Sheilbh]

Hey Sheilbh, here's Squires' take on inflatable unicorns. 

Now after laughing a bit, here's the FT throwing shade at Southgate and the England team for its wokeness.
[...]
I wonder about that "suspiciously well-written" comment about Southgate's essay. Is it implying that it was ghostwritten? That no footballer could be eloquent enough?

I imagine the Southgate essay might well have been ghostwritten - it's standard for footballers (current and former) and managers to use journalists as ghostwriters. That doesn't mean much though. The thoughts will be from that persona and the best ghostwriters not only capture that but also their voice.

I'm less sure with Southgate because I think he is a fairly reflective person - though turning around that piece may have needed a journalist's help. That's fine it's a different job. But I know that Southgate authored an award winning book with a friend of his - they'd known each other since they were in the Crystal Palace academy and youth team. It followed their careers as Southgate went to the Premier League played for England etc while his friend was basically a lower league/semi-pro journeyman. Again I think it's interesting that that's how Southgate approached writing about his time as a player - it is a little bit more considered and reflective. So I don't know.

Regardless I think it's extraordinary and damning that Gareth Southgate has more successfully developed his ideas around a sort of progressive patriotism than any Labour leader in the last 15 years

I think Rachman's piece is interesting and it is useful to have a bit of a cold towel take about it. But I disagree

On the taking a knee - it was booed (and then applause drowned out the boos) in that pre-tournament friendly in Middlesbrough. I think part of that was shock and most fans in the stadium being respectfully silent. Since then when the players take the knee the crowd cheers immediately so the booers don't even have a chance. The only booing I've seen since was when Ukraine kicked off while the England players were taking a knee which was quickly fixed. And I think that's a good thing and reflects attitudes/conversation caused by this team - and the polls always showed most people supported them taking a knee.

I also think this is slightly different than 98 because meaning was projected onto that team to a large extent, while I think this England team is more explicitly political. This is stuff they are doing, knowing they have a platform. I lean more to the Musa Okwonga interpretation (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/05/england-team-semi-final-players-racism-inequality). Raheem Sterling more than any other player has driven the conversation around media double standards for black players - not just because he is a victim of that, but because he has called it out. Marcus Rashford has fed children and forced repeated changes to government policy (he's our Dolly Parton in terms of popularity). Jordan Henderson is doing more than the sort of encouraged/mandated LGBT stuff - he is going out and saying that football is for everyone. I don't think it is just a "black, blanc, beur" thing I think it is about the conscious choices of these players that people are supporting and is moving forward on issues - and the solidarity that the other players like Jordan Pickford or Harry Maguire are showing, and they're not exactly matcha latte sipping Islingtonians. Also as I mentioned before I think part of it is the influence of US sports and especially the NBA on footballers in the UK - I think they are far more willing to be political athletes/athlete-activists than previous generations.

Now I don't think this means we're going to end up with a socialist utopia in 30 years time, but the players all seem to be pushing causes and saying stuff that I agree with and people I know would say. I think they are generally pretty representative of England under 35. Those players and their attitudes, I think, look a lot more like the future of this country - the reason it's alien is because it's different than I think what England over 35 looks like in general. I think where they matter as a team is that they sort of provide the link because the rest of the country likes them - and frankly I think this younger generation are either enabling older footballers to talk more about their views or consciousness raising them - Ian Wright calls out racism that young black players face in the media, Lineker calling out similar double standards, Rio Ferdinand playing with an LGBT team in a trans-flag coloured kit, even Graeme Souness going to Brighton Pride and saying he had an amazing time and he regrets how homophobic he was as a young man.

Obviously there's a limit to the role of culture in shifting politics (I always think of Peter Cook who said he modeled his club and satire on "those wonderful Berlin cabarets which did so much to stop the rise of Hitler and prevent the outbreak of the Second World War"), but I think it matters. I think sport perhaps especially matters because it's popular across class lines increasingly. I think this also goes for the role sport played in getting us here from the horrific and constant racism of the late 80s/early 90s in football, and Tebbit's "cricket test". Sometimes I think culture's just a mirror and reflects where we are (that there are fans who boo and fans who cheer, the racism of the 80s/90s stadiums), but other times it's a magnet that slightly pulls us.

Edit: Eg - just been listening to Ian Wright's podcast with Okwonga and Wright mentioned that this is the first time England's doing well and the story is a black player. It's normally been Lineker, or Shearer, or Beckham, or Owen - while this time it's Sterling and he is getting at least some of the praise he deserved.

[The Larch]

Morata on the bench for the game, now that's something I wasn't expecting.

[Sheilbh]

Ticket prices are insane but I wonder how many maybe took a gamble on getting a ticket to the semi-final on that side of the draw anyway

Yeah, in fact most of the messages to the official post are people asking for financial support to the Spanish federation to be able to attend the game, with messages like "it's like half a month's rent, mate!".

So there may be something to this

I went for a coffee earlier and was speaking to the guy who works there. He's Italian and going to the game tonight (the weather is horrendous). I don't know the details but he said there was some system for Italian citizens so he got his ticket for about £40