All set for a real football carnival

The 11th edition of the European Championship, which is to be co- hosted by Belgium and Holland, should see several sparks fly, writes A. VINOD.

THE EUROPEAN style of play, often laced with an enormous dose of defence-based tactics, might not have too many takers, the world over. But then, regardless of this scepticism, the fact is that the various competitions of that continent (acknowledged openly as the Mecca of football) are ceaselessly followed with much interest.

Forget the irony involved. For, a good example is the 11th edition of the European championship which is to be co-hosted by Belgium and Holland from today (June 10). Known originally as the Nations Cup, the tournament, christened as Euro 2000, once again has generated considerable enthusiasm in the various parts of the globe, not only because the event is being jointly organised by two countries for the first time.

The championship, instituted mostly due to some hard campaigning initiated by the French, has indeed come a long way from 1960 when it was first played. So much so that it is now regarded as the most important tournament of the world football calendar, outside the World Cup. And then, what has added uniqueness to the tournament time and again has been the presence of many superstars of the game, each keenly committed to the country's cause.

Excitement, thus, should once again fill the air as the top sixteen countries, which apart from the co-hosts came through a tough qualifying phase, fight it out for the Henri Delaunay Trophy. However, the suspense, which though would finally be broken on July 2 in Rotterdam, at least as of now is about the likely winner of the tournament what with observers and pundits making it be known that the field this year looks to be wide open.

True, given the form displayed in recent months by those nations in the fray, it is indeed a hard task to single out one among them as the firm favourite. But, that by itself should not take the focus away particularly from those teams which with their performances over the years have come to be acknowledged as the leading countries of world football. Germany, for instance. Or for that matter, France, the winner of the last World Cup just two years back. Not to forget the co-host Holland, Italy, Spain, Yugoslavia and the Czech Republic; each capable of donning the winner's mantle at the expense of the other on any given day. However, it might be a big surprise if Denmark is to eventually crown itself with glory, as this year its team is just a pale shadow of the triumphant 1992 squad.

All the same, the rest of those in the fray could also never be under-estimated, particularly as there are no minnows left in European football. Thus it is a sheer necessity then that the full complement of the teams which includes England, Belgium, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, Romania and newcomers, Slovenia, should be given the required attention even though most of them would be only looking forward to thwart the ambitions of a bigger team.

Incredibly enough, the tournament should also see several sparks fly, particularly in the preliminary league itself wherein the most important tie should be the Group `A' fixture between holder Germany and England. The match, as such, capable of providing a deep insight into the tactical and technical manoeuvres in European football, religiously pursued by two nations whose contributions to the game cannot be taken lightly.

Romania and Portugal, who complete the line-up of the four-team pool, too are hard campaigners if one were to go by their past record. But nonetheless, the focus should be more on the German and English players among whom Lothar Maathaus, Oliver Kahn, Oliver Bierhoff, Jens Jermies, David Beckham, Alan Shearer, Paul Scholes, Paul Ince and Michael Owen will not need any formal introduction to the Indian football fan.

Besides these classy stars, the Romanian side made up of Iulian Filipescu, Dan Petrescu, Adrian Ilie and the remarkable Gheorghe Hagi and the Portuguese players especially Fernando Couto, Rui Costa and Paulo Sousa should treat the Belgian and Dutch fans with their skills and mastery with the ball. Yet, it remains to be seen on how the Romanians and the Portuguese would adjust themselves in Euro 2000, though none of these two sides could be written off straightaway.

In contrast, Group `B' comprising Belgium, Italy, Sweden and Turkey, seems to slightly favour the co-host and the Italians to get through to the quarterfinals, although several quarters have zeroed in on the all-conquering Turks as the dark horses of the tournament. This probably due to the fact that the Turkish approach is far removed from the classical European mould and the side has a great motivator in Tugay Kerimoglu.

The same cannot be, however, said about the Swedes who in recent times have disappointed much despite having played a key role, in the earlier years, in helping the establishment of a world order in the game. The Belgians too would not have much to write about on their different conquests during the near future, but what makes Belgium a potent qualifier is the vast advantage that this side would enjoy as a host country.

Playing on home turf, its main players like Lorenzo Staelens, Eric Defalndre, Marc Wilmots and Luc Nillis, who got to the side displacing the highly-rated Toni Brogno, will also certainly be a different set than on an alien field, providing a tough time to their immediate rivals. The Italians led by the peerless Paolo Maldini, on their part, could only invite self-elimination given their poor record in the penalty shootout.

The team, besides missing the injured Christian Vieri, also seems worried about the form of its other key striker, Alessandro del Piero. In case, Piero is benched by Dino Zoff (who has already created a flutter by leaving out Lazio's Giuseppe Pancaro from his final squad), Vincenzo Montella looks to be the safe bet to partner Filippo Inzaghi upfront. While all this should possibly fan out panic about the Italian chances in the championship, it would still be a big let down if the azzurris fail to make the cut.

Spain and Yugoslavia, the two great under-achievers of the game, have their tasks cut out in Group `C' and improve upon their past record. The two sides, filled with many an outstanding talent, are considered safe bets to make the second stage at the expense of Norway and rank-outsiders Slovenia. The Slovenians though making their debut in the tournament would give anything to march over the Yugoslavians.

The Norwegians appearing after a long gap and for the first time since 1964 may have players in the class of Tore Andre Flo, Erik Mykland and Kjetil Rekdal in their ranks. But it looks uncertain about their capabilities to make any further progress. Among the Spaniards, champions way back in 1964 at home, Fernando Hierro and Pep Guardiola, could be key actors in Euro 2000, while the duty to keep Yugoslav pennant afloat would remain mainly on the shoulders of Dejan Stankovic, Miroslav Djukic and the incomparable Predrag Mijatovic.

Hardly would anyone dare predict the outcome of Group `D', already singled out as the `Group of Death'. Comprising France, Denmark, the Czech Republic and Holland, all incidentally previous winners of the tournament, the real fireworks of Euro 2000 could very well happen in this pool wherein the underdogs would be the Czechs and the Danes.

Notably, since the French look compact and Holland, despite a poor track record in recent months, could always prove to be dangerous on home ground. But, neither of these sides are in that position to breathe easy through the league phase as the Czechs and the Danes would be firing on all cylinders to somehow upset the applecart of the mighty French and the equally irresistible Dutch.

The crucial encounter of this group could still be the one between France and Holland, two teams fit enough to compete the final. The Dutch coach, Frank Rijkaard, would have surprised many with his decision not to consider the experienced Dutch striker, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, but the team still has its share of superstars especially one in Dennis Bergkamp, who has already announced that Euro 2000 would be his last major international assignment. The French side, made up mostly of the same players who helped that country to its first World title, has been further strengthened with the inclusion of Nicolas Anelka. However, it would be still looking forward to the experienced Zinedine Zidane to remain as its main playmaker alongside David Trezeguet, Christophe Duggary and Lilian Thuram, not to leave out Emmanuel Petit, whose participation initially seemed to be doubtful due to an injury.

France has also this chance to hold both the European and World Cups simultaneously if it is eventually capable of emerging unscathed from Euro 2000. Only West Germany has had this distinction so far winning the 1974 World Cup, two years after having won the European title at Belgium in 1972. So, get set for a real football carnival.

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