Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Suddenly everyone’s a soccer expert!


The European soccer championship has been underway for almost a week now, the Euro as it’s known as, is perhaps the most competitive of all the soccer championships of the world.

While the World Cup generates a fair share of excitement on its own, grabbing participants from the far corners of the world, the vast number of squads participating in that tournament lends to more than the occasional blow out.

Not so for the most part the Euro (well Italy’s loss earlier this week kind of blows that theory out of the water but really that wasn’t supposed to happen), where but sixteen nations will quickly be whittled down to eight, then four, two and finally one of two, to claim the crown of European soccer.

With the field limited to just those countries on the European continent, many of which provide a good number of the competitive players in the various big money leagues of Europe, the competition is extraordinary.

Most of the teams are drawn up of players from Serie A, the Bundesliga, La Liga and of course England’s Premiership, the big four of European soccer who offer up some of the most astronomical of salaries and rivalries. It’s really a world of competition that we can’t really compare with here in North America, where our rivalries while intense at time, pale to the pseudo wars that can break out between nations and teams.

For most of the week just past, thanks to the comprehensive coverage of the games on both TSN and Sportsnet, Canadians have suddenly become soccer experts. Where normally many of us would be hard pressed to name a half dozen squads in any league, we now are bouncing the names of Ronaldo, Ballack, Henry, Del Piero,Van Nistelrooy and many others as though we’ve been following their careers for years and years.

Soccer in Canada is divided up into two quite diverse camps, those that have been following the game for years, mainly due to their roots as the sons and daughters of immigrants to the country, many indoctrinated at an early age to root for the home side.

Others are those that look at the game from a slightly different perspective, having not been immersed in the culture or the fanaticism. We’re the Johnny and Jane come lately, to the party, no doubt annoying the other side with our sudden wisdom and occasionally misguided questions or statements on the state of the game. For many of us our only grounding in the game comes from watching our young would be stars play in the rain at Patullo or Roosevelt Parks, events which tend to highlight just how little many of us really know about the game.

As for the soccer at the Euro so far, it’s been an interesting tournament. Even before the first kick of a ball the event became newsworthy, if for no other reason than the absence of England a regular participant sidelined because it could not qualify for this years challenge. This of course has left the English in a state of shock, astounded that they’ve been left to watch from the sidelines while the rest of Europe rallies the troops to their respective home sides.

There are mixed opinions on the missing English side, many are mourning the absence of the soccer mad country, while others are just as glad that they’re out and nowhere to be seen weary of the perceived self importance of British soccer that at times tries to overwhelm these tournaments. British reporters are left now to mainly speculate on potential candidates for transfer to the Premiership and apparently to spend time belittling each other's wives and watching for European hooligans while away from the soggy shores of Mother England.

But for some real emotion, try and start up a conversation with a fan of Italy this week, after their less than stellar performance with Holland, Italian fans are getting a little antsy about their team, a frequent slow to blossom squad that has raised more than a few alarm bells from their poor opening match. Leaving it to their coach to handle the pressure of the Italian media who smell blood and are already moving in for the kill.

For the rest of the world, soccer is the common denominator when it comes to sport; they have the same passion for that round ball that Canadian have for a small black puck and bunch of hockey sticks. It brings out the emotions quickly and can leave a follower overjoyed or overwhelmed with the flick of a ball.

There’s plenty of reading on the net for those that are intent on gaining as much information about Euro 2008, we’ll provide some links below to some of the better ones we’ve stumbled across in the last few days, including two Canadian columnists from the Globe and Mail, who have no apparent rooting interest in the tournament, but are providing a pretty good view of the proceedings.

Stephen Brunt and John Doyle are clearly having the time of their lives while traveling between Switzerland and Austria, their reports back to the colonies give a Canadian eye to the madness that is the world of international soccer.


Globe and Mail-- Stephen Brunt columns
Globe and Mail-- John Doyle columns
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TSN.ca--Website info
Sportsnet.ca--Website info

Guardian.UK--Football page
Goal.com--Website
Telegraph UK--Football page
The Independent-- Football page
Timesonline-- Football page
Football365.com--Website
BBC Sports--Football page
Sky Sports-- Football page
ITN Sports-- Website
World Soccer-- Website
FIFA Online-- Website

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