(Munich) Euro-2024 fever took hold of the streets of Munich at midday on Friday, filled with many Scottish supporters, a few hours before the opening match between Germany and Scotland, for a continental tournament contested in a tense political and geopolitical context.
In a very good-natured atmosphere and under a cloudy sky, the imposing Tartan Army, nickname of Scotland’s supporters (between 100,000 and 200,000 expected in Germany throughout the competition), took possession of Marienplatz in the center of Munich, at the foot of the City Hall, with kilts and bagpipes coming out.
Less than a week after European elections marked by a surge in populist parties in several countries, Euro-2024 must bring Europeans together around the football, at a time when war is still raging on the continent. The Ukrainian selection is also one of the 24 who dream of succeeding the Italian Nazionale, winner in 2021.
“For our democratic and European values, Euro-2024 can be used at any time,” said tournament director Philipp Lahm, in an interview with the German agency SID, a subsidiary of AFP, recognizing that such a competition is “always” a platform for social and political themes.
“Europe is a great country. Welcome to Euro football,” launched the popular German daily Bild in its Friday edition, with 24 faces of supporters in the colors of the qualified countries, on a central double page in its first section.
“The more colourful, the better. That means that in addition to black-red-gold (the German colours, editor’s note), I will also be happy about other colours and flags of the tournament teams,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday.
Beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the context of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas also gives rise to a “diffuse high risk”, according to Interior Minister Nancy Faeser, even if no threat of attack has not been clearly identified.
Three years after a European Championship postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in stadiums with reduced capacity and spread across 11 different cities on the continent, ranging from Seville to Baku, the 2024 edition returns to of the most classic, in Germany, with its experience of the 2006 World Cup. Above all, all stadiums have now returned to a normal configuration, with 2.7 million spectators expected in the 10 stadiums to follow the 51 matches of the tournament.
Privilege of the host country, the Mannschaft of Julian Nagelsmann opens the ball in front of 66,000 spectators in Munich, hoping to unite an entire country behind it, on the model of the “summer fairy tale” (“Sommermärchen”) of 2006, when the The Germans finished third in a World Cup marked by incredible fervor.
Teammates of lkay Gündogan, who spoke of an “incredible honour” to be able to “represent the German people with pride”, will have to be wary of Scotland, as the Germans have missed out on their last three major tournament entries (defeats against Mexico at the 2018 World Cup, France at Euro 2021 and Japan at the 2022 World Cup).
Given its record (quadruple world champion and triple European champion) and the fact that it plays at home, Germany is one of the favorites for the tournament, with France’s Kylian Mbappé, vice-world champion in December 2022, and Harry Kane’s England.
After the opening match, the first shock of the tournament is scheduled for Saturday early evening in Berlin between Spain, European champion in 2008 and 2012, and Croatia of the indestructible Luka Modric, vice-champion of the world in 2018 and again semi-finalist at the end of 2022 in Qatar. Two serious outsiders, just like the Italian title holder and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal.