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Euro History
UEFA European Football Championship The UEFA European Football Championship is the
main football competition of the men's national football teams governed by the
UEFA. Held every four years since 1960, in the even-numbered year between World
Cup tournaments, it was originally called the European Nations Cup, changing to
the name European Football Championship in 1968. The tournament is considered
the second-most important competition among national teams, based on European
and worldwide fame, after the FIFA World Cup. Specific championships are often
referred to in the form "Euro 2008" or whichever year is appropriate.
The competition
Before 1980, only four teams qualified for the final tournament. From 1980 eight
teams competed and in 1996 the tournament expanded again to the current number
of teams, 16. The competing teams are chosen by a series of qualifying games: in
1960 and 1964 through home and away play-offs; from 1968 through a combination
of both qualifying groups and play-off games. The host country was selected from
the four finalists after they were determined through qualifying.
Since the expansion of the final tournament starting from 1980, the host
country, or countries, have been chosen beforehand and qualify automatically.
The defending champions have never been granted an automatic place in the
finals.
Trophy
The Henri Delaunay Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of the European
Football Championship, is named in honor of Henri Delaunay, the first General
Secretary of UEFA, who came up with the idea of a European championship but died
five years prior to the first tournament in 1960. His son Pierre Delaunay was
the person in charge of making the trophy. Since the first tournament it has
been awarded for the winning team to keep for four years, until the next
tournament.
For the 2008 tournament, the trophy was slightly remodeled making the trophy
larger, as well as minor cosmetic changes. The trophy was made 18 centimetres
taller and two kilograms heavier. UEFA officials had stated that despite the
prestige of the tournament, the old trophy was smaller than the ones awarded in
the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.
History
European Nations Cup
In 1956, the groundwork for a European national team competition was laid. Two
years later, in 1958, the first European Nations Cup began. The original format
of the competition saw the early rounds played in home and away matches between
the countries on a knockout basis. This continued until the semi-finals, where
the remainder of the competition was played in the host country, chosen from the
four semi-finalists.
The French Football Federation’s Henri Delaunay came up with the idea of a
European championship in 1927. Given the immense efforts that Delaunay had put
into setting up a European national teams competition, UEFA deemed it
appropriate that the inaugural competition be hosted by France. The trophy
presented to the competition winner still bears his name.
The first final was held in Paris and saw the Soviet Union defeat Yugoslavia,
after extra time, and be first to have their name engraved onto the trophy.
The 1964 competition was the first European Nations Cup to be affected by
politics as it saw Greece refusing to play Albania as they were technically
(though not officially) at war. The finals were hosted by Spain, and they saw
the hosts beat the Soviet Union 2-1 in Madrid.
European Football Championship
The 'European Nations Cup changed its name to the UEFA European Football
Championship for 1968 and also a new format was introduced. Eight groups of
seeded teams played each other twice and the top side of each group proceeded to
two-legged Quarterfinals. The semi-finals and final were played in the host
country of Italy who won the competition after a 2-0 replay of the final, having
drawn 1-1 in the first against Yugoslavia.
In the 1972 tournament, the same structure was retained, with Belgium being the
host of the finals. West Germany won the competition, beating the Soviet Union
3-0 in the final. The 1976 final round was hosted by Yugoslavia. In the final,
Czechoslovakia squandered a two-goal lead before penalties were needed. When Uli
Hoeness missed, it allowed Antonín Panenka to chip into the space vacated by
Sepp Maier's anticipatory dive for a Czechoslovakian victory.
New Format
In 1980 UEFA introduced a new format, which saw eight teams go to the finals
instead of four, and then play each other in two groups of four teams; the
winner of each group then proceeded to the final. West Germany faced Belgium in
the final, which they won 2-1 after two goals from Horst Hrubesch. However the
newer format was not retained in 1984, and a different format was used, again
employing group stages, but this time in place of only the quarter-finals. The
top two teams from each of the two groups progressed to the semi-finals. The
competition was held in France for the second time. The hosts won 2-0 in Paris
against Spain with goals from Michel Platini and Bruno Bellone. Platini had
dominated the Euro as no other player had before or had done so ever since, he
scored nine goals that tournament while the next highest scorer had three, and
no other player in the Euro's history has ever scored more than five goals.
The 1988 competition was held in West Germany, while the format from the 1984
competition was retained. Marco Van Basten led the Netherlands, scoring what was
later voted the best goal ever in the competition [3].
The 1992 competition was held in Sweden during a time of European political
change, a united Germany was represented and as a result of the break up of the
Soviet Union, a Commonwealth of Independent States of the former Soviet Union.
Yugoslavia made it to the finals but were excluded as a result of hostilities in
their country, Denmark replaced them. Surprisingly, the Danes went on to win the
competition after a 2-0 victory over world champions Germany in the final.
Expansion
With the breakup of the Soviet Union, all of the former Soviet republics were
required to enter separately. Now that there were more teams, a format that
accommodated this was required. With 48 teams entering the competition, and
after the enlargement of the World Cup which had more European sides qualifying
for it than the European Championships themselves, 16 teams traveled to the
finals in England. The teams were put into 4 groups, the winner and runner up of
each group progressed to a new round of quarter-finals. The semi-finals and
final remained the same. The Germans won in the final over underdogs Czech
Republic with a golden goal.
Belgium and the Netherlands became the first countries to jointly host the event
in 2000. France won, again the final was decided by golden goal, David Trézéguet
was the scorer. In 2004 the event was held in Portugal, with the silver goal
rule being used for the first time. The rule saw Greece beat the Czech Republic
in the semi-finals. Underdogs Greece went on to win the competition, when they
had been put at pre-tournament odds of 100 to 1. The next tournament will be
co-hosted by Switzerland and Austria in 2008.
Future
Since the 1990s, countries have been allowed to act as joint hosts. Belgium and
the Netherlands were the first countries to co-host the competition in 2000. In
the 2008 tournament Austria and Switzerland will co-host the event, held from 7
to 29 of June, 2008. Many also talk about an expansion of the tournament grid to
24 teams, due to the increasing number of football associations in Europe after
the breakups of Yugoslavia and the USSR. Both candidates for the UEFA presidency
in 2007, Lennart Johansson and Michel Platini, are reported to be in favour of
expanding the tournament.
Selection of the host country or countries for the 2012 competition is currently
in progress. The host will be chosen in March 2007 from a shortlist including
Italy and joint bids from Poland/Ukraine and Croatia/Hungary.
In 2010, UEFA will decide which country will host Euro 2016. Sweden and Denmark
are currently planning a joint bid, and it has been reported that Wales and
Scotland will also bid together. Bids should be left in 2008.
Format
Qualifying
In order to qualify a team must be winners or runners-up in one of the seven
qualifying groups. After this a team proceeds to the finals round in the host
country, although hosts qualify for the tournament automatically. The qualifying
phase begins in the autumn after the preceding FIFA World Cup, almost two years
before the finals.
The groups for qualification are drawn by a UEFA committee using seeding; seeded
teams include reigning champions, and other teams on the basis of their
performance in the preceding FIFA World Cup qualifying, and the last European
Football Championship qualifying. To obtain an accurate view of the teams
abilities, a ranking is produced, this is calculated by taking the total number
of points won by a particular team, and dividing it by the number of games
played, i.e., points per game, in the case of a team having hosted one of the
two previous competitions, and therefore having qualified automatically, only
the results from the single most recent qualifying competition are used. If two
teams have equal points per game, the committee then bases their positions in
the rankings on;
-
Coefficient from the matches played in its most recent qualifying competition.
-
Average goal difference.
-
Average number of goals scored.
-
Average number of away goals scored.
-
Drawing of lots.
The qualifying phase is played in a group format, the composition of the groups
is determined through means of a draw of teams from pre-defined seeded bowls.
The draw takes place after the preceding World Cup's qualifying competition. For
the 2008 European Football Championship, the group qualifying phase consists of
seven groups, one of eight teams, and the remainder of seven teams each.
The qualifying phase is done in groups, each effectively a mini league, where
the highest ranked team, after all the teams have played each other home and
away, progresses to the finals tournament, as with most leagues, the points are
dealt as three for a win, one for a draw, and none for a loss. In the
eventuality of one or more teams having equal points after all matches have been
played, the following criteria is used to distinguish the sides;
-
Higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in
question.
-
Superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in
question.
-
Higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in
question.
-
Higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among
the teams in question.
-
Results of all group matches:
-
Superior goal difference
-
Higher number of goals scored
-
Higher number of goals scored away from home
-
Fair play conduct.
-
Drawing of lots.
Final tournament
Sixteen teams progress to the final tournament, for the 2008 tournament they
will be the winners and runners up of the seven qualifying groups, and joint
hosts Austria and Switzerland. These sixteen teams are divided equally into four
groups, A, B, C and D, each consisting of four teams. The groups are drawn up by
the UEFA administration, again using seeding. The seeded teams being the host
nations, the reigning champions, subject to qualification, and those with the
best points per game coefficients over the qualifying phase of the tournament
and the previous World Cup qualifying. Other finalists will be assigned to by
means of a draw, using coefficients as a basis.
The four groups are again played in a league format, where a team plays its
opponents once each. The same points system is used (three points for a win, one
point for a draw, no points for a defeat). A schedule for the group matches will
be drawn up, but the last two matches in a group must kick off simultaneously.
The winner and runner-up of each group progresses to the quarter-finals, where a
knockout system is used (the two teams play each other once, the winner
progresses), this is used in all subsequent rounds as well. The winners of the
quarter-finals matches progress to the semi-finals, where the winners play in
the final. If in any of the knockout rounds after normal playing time, the
scores are still equal, extra time and penalties are employed to separate the
two teams. |
