Deutsche Bahn has apologized to tournament director Philipp Lahm for not being able to get him to Düsseldorf on time on Friday. “We are sorry that Philipp Lahm did not make it to the game on time. At least he was able to watch the second half in the stadium. Sorry, dear Philipp Lahm!” said a Deutsche Bahn spokesman. Due to the apparently long delay, Lahm did not make it to the Düsseldorf stadium in time for the kick-off of the European Championship match between Ukraine and Slovakia (2:1).
The 40-year-old European Championship director also missed a TV appearance on RTL and MagentaTV before the duel in Group D. Instead, European Championship ambassador Celia Sasic appeared in front of the camera before the 3 p.m. game. Sasic said of Lahm’s whereabouts: “He must be hanging somewhere near Solingen, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”
RTL presenter Florian König couldn’t resist making a little dig: “Greetings to Philipp Lahm, if he can hopefully make it to the stadium here in Düsseldorf,” he said to Sasic. Before the tournament, Lahm had stressed that he would not fly from game to game in a helicopter like Franz Beckenbauer did at the 2006 World Cup, but would travel by train in the spirit of sustainability. Downsides included.
19:45: Portugal coach has no doubts about Ronaldo’s fitness
Portugal’s national coach Roberto Martinez has guaranteed superstar Cristiano Ronaldo a starting place for the remaining European Championship games despite his advanced age. “For us, he brings experience, he brings scoring opportunities and helps us open up spaces. He is in the national team because he deserves it. All the data proves that,” the 50-year-old Spaniard replied to a critical question about the fitness of the 39-year-old attacker, who has been playing for the Saudi Arabian first division club Al-Nassr since the beginning of 2023.
16:55: Ukraine celebrates first victory
Having lost the first game and trailing at half-time in the second against Slovakia, Ukraine were on the verge of being eliminated from the European Championships. But then the footballers from the war-torn country turned the game around with two fine goals. Now everything is possible again. Our match report:
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16:11: Fan zones in Berlin closed
The fan zones at the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag in Berlin will be closed due to an expected storm. Due to the storm warnings from the German Weather Service (DWD), visitors will be directed away from the site, the organizer, Kulturprojekte Berlin, announced on Friday afternoon. However, the organizer reserves the right to reopen the fan zones later, said a spokeswoman, referring to the European Championship Group D match between Poland and Austria in Berlin’s Olympic Stadium at 6 p.m.
The DWD warned: “Some strong thunderstorms are approaching from the southwest!” Football fans should “pay close attention to the weather development.”
14:41: This tapir has no idea about football
Lowland tapir Theo is certainly not a Germany fan: The oracle at Münster Zoo predicted a Swiss victory before the national football team’s third European Championship match. The consolation for German fans is that Theo clearly has no idea about football and has always been wrong with his predictions.
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The zoo oracle didn’t hesitate for a second on Friday before he walked purposefully towards the food bowl with the Swiss flag on it. The exact same food would have been waiting for him in the black, red and gold ball or in the neutral ball for a draw.
However, the Allwetterzoo does not want to accept the accusation that tapir Theo could be the worst oracle of the European Championship: “We are now assuming that we have a language barrier and that he simply always predicts the loser,” said a zoo spokesman. Before the round of 16 match, Theo will definitely be consulted as an oracle again.
Mistake one: Theo picked Scotland
Source: dpa/Benjamin Westhoff
Mistake two: Theo sided with the Hungarians
Source: dpa/Christoph Reichwein
Mistake three? Theo firmly believes in Switzerland
Source: dpa/Christoph Reichwein
14:05: TV ratings – New record for game without German participation
The number of TV viewers continues to rise, even for broadcasts other than the German team. On Thursday evening, an average of 13.042 million people watched the 1:0 victory between the Spanish national team and Italy on ZDF. According to AGF Video Research, the broadcast had a market share of 50.09 percent. It was the most successful European Championship broadcast to date without German participation. This does not include viewers who watched the game at public viewings or on Telekom.
13:39: The Kane Crisis
The best thing about England’s minimalist start to the European Championship so far has been the results. However, Harry Kane and Co. do not look like title contenders. The criticism is particularly directed at FC Bayern’s top scorer.
You can read the whole article here.
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13:02: Italian referees Germany match
Referee Daniele Orsato will be in charge of the DFB team’s group final against Switzerland in Frankfurt on Sunday (9 p.m., in the WELT sports ticker). UEFA announced this on Friday afternoon. The 48-year-old Italian will be refereeing a game involving Germans for the sixth time. The three-time European football champions have not lost any of their previous matches.
The 2020 World Referee will be making his second European Championship appearance after England’s 1-0 win over Serbia. Orsato will end his career after the tournament. The Champions League semi-final second leg between Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund (0-1) on May 7 was his last match at club level.
12:58 pm: Blackfacing? “These issues are getting out of control”
During the Dutch game against Poland, Oranje fans dressed up as Ruud Gullit, including black-painted faces. A debate about racism broke out in the Netherlands. Gullit spoke out, as did current national player Nathan Aké.
You can read the whole article here.
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12:11 p.m.: Kassel introduces weapons ban zone
The city of Kassel is introducing a temporary ban on weapons in heavily frequented areas during the European Championships. The ban will apply from this Friday until July 15 in the area around the Nordhessen Arena, where public viewings are offered, and on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, as the city announced on Thursday evening. Accordingly, weapons and knives with fixed or lockable blades with a length of more than four centimeters are not allowed to be carried there during certain periods.
Exempt from the ban are police officers, security guards, craftsmen and tradespeople who work with knives or other objects covered by the Weapons Act, it was said. According to the information, random checks of people are possible in the weapons ban zone and can be carried out by both the state police and the city police.
The city is following a recommendation from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to set up weapon and knife-free zones for fan zones and areas where many people gather for the European Championships. Just before the start of the tournament, a man was attacked and seriously injured on Friedrich-Ebert-Straße, which is considered Kassel’s party mile.
11:34 am: Wales parts ways with coach
The Welsh Football Association has parted ways with national coach Rob Page after four years. The 49-year-old had come under increasing criticism because Wales had not qualified for the European Championship. Most recently, the team was disappointed in friendly matches against Gibraltar (0:0) and Slovakia (0:4).
10:52 a.m.: Lahm “very satisfied” with the overall organization
After one week of the European Championships, tournament director Philipp Lahm has drawn a positive interim conclusion about the organization – but also asked for understanding for smaller problems. “Of course you also see things that can be done better, that can be adjusted,” said the 2014 soccer world champion on Friday in the ARD “Morgenmagazin.” Overall, however, he and his team are “very satisfied with how everything is going.”
Still popular with European Championship fans: Philipp Lahm
Source: dpa/Christian Charisius
During the first days of the European Championship, fans had repeatedly criticized the conditions for getting to and from the stadiums. There was particular debate about the venue in Gelsenkirchen. “There are a lot of people who come together at major events,” said Lahm (40). “When it comes to admission or transport – there are simply a lot of people,” and it is “not always possible” to move them in the shortest possible time. “Everyone should understand that not everything works perfectly when a lot of people meet or want to go somewhere.”
09:03: Mbappé only on the bench
According to consistent French media reports, France’s national football coach Didier Deschamps will not include superstar Kylian Mbappé in the starting lineup for Friday’s match against the Netherlands. The 25-year-old will initially sit on the bench. Mbappé broke his nose in France’s 1-0 opening victory against Austria on Monday. He took part in the final training session in Leipzig’s European Championship stadium on Thursday wearing a protective mask in the French national colours.
All games of the home European Championship at a glance:
Schedule of the European Championship 2024 with all results
European Championship schedule as PDF to print
2024-06-21 22:52:55
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