Pandemic, politics and some football: welcome to Euro 2020
Atournament intended to unify a continent could underscore divisions and uncertainties gripping Europe. The ambitious plan to spread European Championship games like never before has handed organiser Uefa huge logistical challenges.
Coronavirus curbs remain in place across the 11 cities being used for the 51 games, restricting crowds and movements as European football stages the biggest sporting event since the pandemic began 15 months ago.
Not only will stadiums be far from full but the absence of visiting fans could diminish the atmosphere at a continent-wide event intended to celebrate six decades of the Euros and already delayed by a year.
Across the 24 squads, there’s much more than just winning games to worry about. Even making the field is the concern for players — highlighted by coronavirus infections in the Spain and Sweden squads.
With not all squads vaccinated, the need to protect bubbles around the teams is a priority, especially when they are having to fly across Europe – from Scotland in the west to Azerbaijan in the east; Russia in the north to Italy in the south.
While the opening game is in Rome between Italy and Turkey today, the venue with the most games is Wembley. The north London stadium that is home to the England national team will stage the semifinals and final after five earlier games – starting on Monday with England against Croatia.
It should be a moment of joy in England since Gareth Southgate’s team has a chance to lift the country’s first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup final was played in the old Wembley.
But anti-racism campaigning by the team has managed to fracture England’s fan base with some booing of players taking a knee since crowds were allowed back into games last month.
‘‘It shows that if there’s still people booing because we’re standing together against racism that there is still a problem and we’re still going to fight it and we stand together on that,’’ England vice-captain Jordan Henderson said.
It’s not just social causes dividing, as so often sport becomes a platform for the manifestation of diplomatic tensions.
Ukraine’s yellow-and-blue jerseys enraged Russia since it featured an outline of its territory showing the Crimea region which Russia annexed in 2014. The Donbass Arena used for Euro 2012 games was shelled two years later at the start of a conflict that persists between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Uefa has allowed the map to remain – since Russia’s annexation is viewed as illegal under international law – but the slogan ‘‘Glory to the heroes’’ was removed because it was determined to be ‘‘clearly political in nature, having historic and militaristic significance’’.
The tournament, though, will close at Wembley with the band of the British Army’s Coldstream Guards performing – potentially in front of a capacity 90,000 crowd if England’s coronavirus regulations are eased.
Uefa’s hope will be once the first ball is kicked the focus can be on more joyful moments such as the tournament debuts of Finland and North Macedonia and live up to the name of the tournament song, ‘‘We Are the People’’.