UEFA aren't letters of the alphabetJune 17, 2016

You were in Marseille on a holiday, not paying attention to the signs. France would play Albania at Stade Vélodrome. You could be one of those few people who wasn't fanatical about football. You insist that you're an avid sport fan, but you don't keep yourself up to date with the latest in team sport. And then you saw a familiar face. It happened to be your old mate from the place where you used to live. He traveled all the way to Nice, only to witness Northern Ireland lose its opening match to Poland. It's the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) European Championship or UEFA Euro 2016.

You found out that it was the third time that France would be hosting this quadrennial event. And the odds would favour them. (France won the UEFA Euro 1984 in front of their home fans. The French team beat the Italian squad during the finals of the UEFA Europ 2000. It took place in Amsterdam, which wasn't far from the French fans.) The Spanish fans would laugh at it, as Spain is the two-time defending champion. Your thoughts turned to the English team, as their best results happened back home. It reminded you of the week before your departure, where your colleagues talked about the 60th anniversary of the tournament.

The UEFA Euro 2020 will take place all over the continent including Baku, Bucharest, and Budapest. Dublin and Glasgow will be among the eight cities to host the group stage and round of 16 matches, while London will be the venue for the semifinal and final matches. You can see yourself cheering for the home team, where your backpacking days long over. As a matter of fact, you became oblivious to the Mediterranean sun. You've been curious about the UEFA Euro without attending a game. (You might be more interested if the English team have better results.) You weren't quite the same when you talked about it with your coursemates many moons ago. Who could have thought of the following:

European teams haven't been successful in the Olympics. It's no secret that football's powers-to-be don't want the Summer Olympics to rival the FIFA World Cup. This would mean that European fans couldn't send their best players to the Olympics. And then you frowned at the age limit. (Why 23?) Spain was the last European nation to capture the gold medal, and it happened in Barcelona. It would be 24 long years.

What do Denmark, Greece, and the Netherlands have in common? These nations are members of the European Union (EU). You would be shocked if you meet someone who doesn't have a clue about it. They are past UEFA Euro winners. (Silence would follow. You didn't press your coursemates for details.) And they haven't won the World Cup. Yet. The Dutch team finished second on three occasions. They placed third in the 2014 edition, but it was memorable as well. The Dutch squad beat their more fancied (Brazilian) opponents in front of raucous home fans. It could have been a title match.

Do German toddlers learn football at such a young age? It would seem to be the case. Germany and Spain are the most successful nations in the UEFA Euro, winning the tournament three times. The FIFA World Cup would tell a different story, as the Spanish has yet to follow up their success in South Africa in 2010.

Your mate told you about the upcoming match between England and Wales. You don't have any plans to travel to Lens, you said. But you wished both teams didn't play in the group stage.

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