Over here in Europe a big football tournament kicked off this weekend - The European Nations Cup. The final will be played on Sunday July 14th in Berlin, Germany. In fact, the entire tournament is happening in Germany.
Tonight, English football supporters up and down the land tuned in to watch our nation's first game of the tournament against Serbia. Fortunately and I think deservedly, we won by one goal to nil - scored in the thirteenth minute by twenty year old Jude Bellingham. What a wonderful, determined and skilful player he is. If he avoids serious injury, he will undoubtedly become one of the legends of the game. Currently, he plays his club football for Real Madrid in Spain.
Football is bigger than religion in England. Our stadia are now our churches and the majority of supporters wear religious garb - team shirts, scarves and hats. We believe in our club teams and indeed in our national team more than we believe in God.
Most pubs have big TV screens and this evening they will have all been tuned to the England game. Many thousands of supporters will have descended on their local pubs to watch the match but I was round at my daughter's house. They have a big, modern TV screen and besides Shirley wanted to watch something else on our humble twenty eight inch television at home.
England's next match is against Denmark on Thursday evening and this will be followed by a game against Slovenia on Tuesday June 26th. This match will mark the end of our involvement in the group stage before the knockout stage gets under way.
Come on England! Three years ago our lads got through to the final - losing on penalties to Italy at Wembley Stadium in London. England fans have known much disappointment over the years. So near and yet so far. An ocean of tears. Maybe this is the year that England will come home with the trophy. We live in hope.
There's lots of hype over sports to keep people intensely interested. I hope your team wins.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your good wishes Red.
DeleteFootball is bigger than religion almost everywhere I believe, certainly here in Australia. Football and beer.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if churches put on football matches, their congregations would grow.
DeleteI am not the only who thinks, English football equals hooliganism. Mind, I haven't of any for some years.
ReplyDeleteI have been attending football matches in England since 1963 and from my experience football certainly does not equal hooliganism. I must have watched over a thousand matches live.
DeleteHaven't heard
ReplyDeleteUntil now.
DeleteA very boring display. The star players play far too many matches. I think Spain, Germany, France and Portugal will be the teams to watch.
ReplyDeleteWe won and we will top Group 4. Come on England!
DeleteGrowing up, we called that kickball.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how to some degree America sought to separate itself from the rest of the world through sport. For nearly every other country in the world there is only one "football" and that is not "American football".
DeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteReceived with thanks.
DeleteBoth of my sons played soccer from the time they were little boys and they continue to play in various leagues around their cities. I prefer your football over American football any day!
ReplyDeleteWe need no padding, no helmets and no time-outs.
DeleteRight now we are in the middle of the Stanley Cup finals and it's all about Oiler Nation. To be honest, I hope the Oilers win and bring the cup back to Canada.
ReplyDeleteAre they the Olive Oilers?
DeleteI was interested to read that there was some hoodlum violence over this game in Germany. The perpetrators weren't identified but they said thousands of English people came to town even without tickets to the game, which I found completely bewildering. I must admit any spectator sport is a mystery to me, though.
ReplyDeleteWe are like Muslims visiting The Haj.
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