The European football championship is full of interesting threads. It is difficult to describe them all in one article. That is why we have selected five amazing facts about the historical origins of Euro, about politics and about fathers for whom things were more important than football.
Why so late?
The first European football championship in history - or actually the First European Nations Cup, as the tournament was originally called - was played in 1960 in France. The winner was the USSR team.
Above the head of the watchful fan, a lamp immediately lights up: why was the champion of the Old Continent chosen only 56 years after the establishment of FIFA? After all, even in South America, this type of competition has been held for over four decades. There were several obstacles. The greatest was Jules Rimet - called "the father of the soccer world cup", president of FIFA from 1921-1954, and his politician.
Henri Delaunay, a man of impeccable manners and a visionary approach to football, was often seen alongside this French activist. Born in 1883, Delaunay loved sports from an early age. He even tried his hand on the pitch as a football referee. His promising career was interrupted by a ball hit in the face, as a result of which the man swallowed his whistle and lost two teeth . After this incident, Henri turned to football, but from the organizational side. That's when he met Rimet.
There were several obstacles. The greatest was Jules Rimet - called "the father of the soccer world cup", president of FIFA from 1921-1954, and his politician.
The relations between the gentlemen were correct - at least at the beginning. Jules was the boss, Henri was the command-taker. In 1927, a subordinate placed his innovative project of organizing the European Championship competition on the principals desk. What did Rimet do? He ignored him.
The reason was simple: the president of FIFA was afraid of undermining the position of a global federation in favor of the European unions especially those centered around the British. He was also extremely consistent, and he successfully swept under the rug over the years. It took nearly thirty years to pull the rope. Only after the resignation of Jules Rimet in June 1954, the newly established UEFA started to work on the organization of the European championship.
On June 6, 1958 in Stockholm, during the Third UEFA Congress, the final decisions were made. Interestingly, neither Henri Delaunay nor Jules Rimet saw their premiere matches. The first one died in November 1955. The second - eleven months later. The cup presented to the championship winner is named after the steadfast Delaunay.
The general deals the cards
On June 21, 1964, Ferran Olivelli, captain of the Spanish national team, raised the cup at the packed Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. La Roja became the best representation of Europe. And the first host of the tournament that triumphed in it. General Franco applauded his countrymen from the height of the stands. He didn't show up at the match by accident.
In the decisive clash, the Spaniards defeated the Soviet Union (2:1). In the first two editions of the Nations' European Cup the meetings of these two teams were steeped in politics. In 1960, fate brought these teams together in the quarter-finals. On May 25, Helenio Herrera's players waiting for a flight to Moscow received information that they would not fly to the match. The Generalissmo despised the communists and claimed that there were still soldiers of the Blue Division who fought the Red Army during World War II in the camps on the territory of the USSR. The Spaniards offered to play the match on neutral ground. The Russians rejected the offer. A forfeit was ordered in favor of the USSR.
General Franco applauded from the height of the stands of his countrymen.
Four years later, when it turned out that the hosts would face the Soviets in the battle for the championship, Franco followed the advice of his advisers. They suggested that any success on the pitch would bring tangible political benefits . And they were right. The final, broadcast to 15 countries, ended with a Spanish victory. In addition, Olivella and Villalong's coach publicly dedicated the cup to the head of the state. Probably no coincidence.
Children more important than the championship
The knockout system and the draw, with which the European Nations Cup was played at the beginning, meant that already at an early stage it was a hit match.
In February 1963, in the rematch of the 1/16 final, the French faced the British debuting in this event. In the first game in Sheffield there was a draw (1:1). In Paris, the fate of promotion to the next round was decided. Unfortunately, Raymond Kopa, who had Polish roots, was missing from the tri-color line-up.
This brilliant footballer and field strategist has suffered a huge tragedy. His four-year-old son, suffering from cancer, died two weeks before the game. The footballer had already given up games earlier to watch over Denis's bed . Now he had to support his broken wife. The French representatives, aware of the situation of their colleagues, promised that they would defeat the English for him in order to ease the pain that accompanied him. Managed to. The "Tri-color" won 5:2.
In the same edition, after the Hungarian-Spanish semi-final match, Rudolf Illovszky, assistant coach of the Magyars, rushed to the airport. The man received the news of a road accident in which his son, György, was involved. The boy had extensive head injuries and the doctors assumed a worst-case scenario. After reaching the place, Rudolf and his wife looked after the child. The son survived, but was disabled until the end of his life.
In Paris, the fate of promotion to the next round was decided. Unfortunately, Raymond Kopa, who had Polish roots, was missing from the tri-color line-up.
Perhaps the most famous story of a father-footballer and a sick child took place in 1992. At the championships organized by Sweden, the Danes who replaced the Yugoslavs who had been excluded because of the war. In the game that was decisive for the promotion from the group, the Red and Whites defeated the French (2:1).
Kim Vilfort did not appear at that meeting. The Danish forward was at the time in the hospital where Line, his daughter suffering from leukemia, was lying. The girl fought for her life. After Denmark had advanced to the semi-finals, her father was at a crossroads:he could continue to accompany her or return to the championship to help his colleagues in the semi-final match against the Netherlands. The family pressed him to go to Sweden. She assured that she would cope with this difficult situation. The footballer obeyed.
Denmark defeated the "Orange" after a series of penalties. Immediately after the final whistle, Kim packed up and returned to his daughter. At the hospital, he found out that her health was still serious. He survived déjà vu, but his relatives came to his aid again. For the final against Germany, Vilfort was in the first line-up.
It was the 78th minute of the game. The Germans were losing 1-0 to the Danes and were striving to equalize. Alone in the attack, Kim received a pass. He took the football perfectly, he deceived two defenders and hit from outside the penalty area. The ball bounced off the post and entered the goal. This hit sealed the Danish win. Richard Møller Nielsen, the Danish coach, said:
Everyone was talking about Laudrup, Povlsen or Larsen, and Vilfort was one of the greatest heroes. Additionally, he played with unimaginable psychological burden throughout the tournament.
The story of Kim Vilfortta and his daughter does not have a happy ending. Line died shortly after the tournament.
King Michel
It is said that no other footballer has dominated the tournament as much as Diego Maradona. In 1986, the Argentine split and reigned on Mexican football fields to ultimately become world champion. Two years earlier, the author of a similar show was Michel Platini. In the European championship in 1984, the Frenchman scored nine goals in five matches and became the top scorer. Nobody before or after has even come close to this number. The extraordinary nature of his feat is also underlined by other facts.
Two years earlier, the author of a similar show was Michel Platini. During the 1984 European Championship, the Frenchman scored nine goals in five matches and became the top scorer.
Platini, who was labeled a "sick player" in his teenage years, scored goals in every game on his fields (the tournament was played in France). He started shooting in the opening match with Denmark (1-0). He later scored two hat-tricks in a row (against Belgium and Yugoslavia). He only needed 18 minutes to complete the second one. In the semi-final tough fight with Portugal, he scored the decisive goal in the last minute of extra time. In his biography he mentioned it as follows:
Tigana runs to the end line and pulls the ball back. I am! I am! I shoot from my right leg. Goal. We are freed from the nightmare of Seville . Hidalgo, who says goodbye to the national team after ten years, will have his final!
Michel's last hit was in the final against Spain. At the Paris Parc des Princes in the 57th minute of the match he shot a free kick. The Spanish goalkeeper made a mistake and Platini enjoyed the lead. In the end, the "Tri-Color" won the title, being the third ever host to make this play. Michel Platnini did not go to the next European championship, because he had ended his career a year earlier. Anyway, no French appeared on the German football fields. The defenders of the title didn't make it through the eliminations.
Greek sensation
In 1992, the Danes became the unexpected European champions. Twelve years later, there was an even bigger sensation on the Portuguese fields. On June 12, 2004, the Greeks hosted the championship at the Estádio do Dragão in Porto. The Portuguese were considered the favorite. The Greeks - according to the bookmakers - were the outsider, against which the numbers also spoke: until 2004, the Blue-and-Whites had only been promoted to the championship twice (in 1980 and 1994) and scored one point. In Portugal they turned out to be David who defeated several Goliaths.
Portugal got it first (2:1). After advancing to the knockout stages, the Greeks sent France and the Czech Republic to the brim in succession. In the title match, they again met the hosts of Euro. And they were better by one goal again (1:0). The sensation became a fact, and a fete began in Athens and other cities. Though it's probably too small a word.
The summer of 2004 was crazy in Greece. People were having fun in the streets, footballers were not able to do their shopping in peace. There was even a situation where the Henri Delaunay Cup landed on one of the beaches where the wedding was taking place. Hundreds of proud fans were photographed against it.
Why did Greek footballers conquer the championship so unexpectedly? The answer is simple:by tactics. Coach Otto Rehhagel created a game system based on defense and counterattacks. Some people accuse the trainer that this approach killed the beauty of the game. They criticized procrastination. The trainer responded in the best possible way. He won and went down in history for good.