The Round Ball Game - II

[vinteuil]

... fans ... booed the Scandinavian country's national anthem.

.

we should forfeit the match.

I hope the Italians have no mercy

.

[Bryn]

"UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against England after fans shone a laser at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel during the Euro 2020 semi-final and booed the Scandinavian country's national anthem.

As laser pointer was directed at Schmeichel before he saved Harry Kane's extra-time penalty - only for the England captain to score the rebound." SKY/BBC & everywhere in Europe I should think

The TV camera shows the green laser on his cheek. Southgate should offer to annul the goal and decide the match with a toss of a coin (Denmark will say no, let's forget it). That's all we can do to mitigate. Terrible end to a good day.

If the laser assault offender can be identified, she or he should be prosecuted and banned from attending professional football games for life.

[gurnemanz]

If the laser assault offender can be identified, she or he should be prosecuted and banned from attending professional football games for life.

Was probably one of the people who booed the Danish anthem

[Ein Heldenleben]

If the laser assault offender can be identified, she or he should be prosecuted and banned from attending professional football games for life.

Although it looks from the video footage like the laser hit the goalies eye at one point (he blinks after it ) , I don’t think it distracted him and he hasn’t yet claimed it has. (What a terrific player Schmeichel is - if he’d deflected the shot Kane would never have got to it. )
Nevertheless it was a quite incredibly stupid and dangerous thing to do and I agree he should be prosecuted . With the extensive video footage available (including isolated recordings on individual match cameras) there is quite a good chance of doing so. However it would take up a lot of police time to view - there would be hours and hours of footage.The FA / UEFA however would have the resources to do so privately and I hope they do so. I think they own the copyright to all the ITV footage but maybe only the broadcast element - interesting legal point if you are interested in such arcane matters.

[LHC]

we should forfeit the match.

I hope the Italians have no mercy

.

I understand some Italian fans booed the Spanish anthem as well; perhaps they should both forfeit?

[LHC]

"UEFA has opened disciplinary proceedings against England after fans shone a laser at Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel during the Euro 2020 semi-final and booed the Scandinavian country's national anthem.

As laser pointer was directed at Schmeichel before he saved Harry Kane's extra-time penalty - only for the England captain to score the rebound." SKY/BBC & everywhere in Europe I should think

The TV camera shows the green laser on his cheek. Southgate should offer to annul the goal and decide the match with a toss of a coin (Denmark will say no, let's forget it). That's all we can do to mitigate. Terrible end to a good day.

Schmeichel saved the penalty, so it didn’t affect the result, but I agree with others that the culprit should be prosecuted, and probably also banned from attending any sporting events for life.

[jayne lee wilson]

Footballers have been falling over at the slightest touch, and in some cases ‘diving’ for as long as I can remember, and there have been calls for refs not to tolerate this for a great many years. Indeed, I think the refs at this tournament have in the main been very good, and have been far more likely to wave play on, and not award free kicks or penalties for ‘dives’ than has often been the case.

The penalty last night was rather soft, and there could have been no complaints if it had not been given. However, there was contact with Sterling from two Danish players, neither of whom were close to touching the ball, and the decision was checked by VAR. In a marginal case like this, I think it rather like ‘umpires call’ in cricket; VAR disclosed no reason to overturn the decision to award a penalty.

Absolutely. I watched the BBC rerun of the game later on, saw this penalty in slow-mo from all angles, and all you say here is correct. Penalty it was by the current laws. And well won by the star of the Euro show, the great Raheem Sterling.

All the TRUE fans here know how this goes - you get decisions, as many against you as for you. All players, mangers and supporters know it. This who don't love and follow football, let alone all of England's agonies, will carp and call for bans and results overturned, expressing their spite and self-hate in that decades-long facile way. They need to find a worthy object of love themselves (and need to love themselves a little more). (And perhaps look at Italy's record (and those of many others, oh, if only they knew) in playing fair across the decades...)

The idiot with the laser should be found and banned; the suggestion that either the penalty or the result was affected is purely speculative; no further action is required.

I have watched EVERY SINGLE ENGLAND MATCH, at World Cups and Euros, LIVE, since 1970. Wherever I was, whatever time of day it was, I found a way; or kind and generous people, not all football fans, found a way for me.

Its called LOVE; as New Order sang, it belongs to all of us, howsoever rare the encounters with it might be.

****
I'm still sipping the champagne, right now (and listening to the Mozart Violin Concertos); and looking forward to a great night on Sunday.
Two fine footballing teams and nations with a long and rich tradition in the sport. Absolutely no shame or despair for either to lose. We just hope for a great contest, carefully and fairly refereed.

[Ein Heldenleben]

Absolutely. I watched the BBC rerun of the game later on, saw this penalty in slow-mo from all angles, and all you say here is correct. Penalty it was by the current laws. And well won by the star of the Euro show, the great Raheem Sterling.

All the TRUE fans here know how this goes - you get decisions, as many against you as for you. All players, mangers and supporters know it. This who don't love and follow football, let alone all of England's agonies, will carp and call for bans and results overturned, expressing their spite and self-hate in that decades-long facile way. They need to find a worthy object of love themselves (and need to love themselves a little more). (And perhaps look at Italy's record in playing fair across the decades...)

The idiot with the laser should be found and banned; neither the penalty or the result was affected; no further action is required.

I have watched EVERY SINGLE ENGLAND MATCH, at World Cups and Euros, LIVE, since 1970. Wherever I was, whatever time of day it was, I found a way; or kind and generous people, not all football fans, found a way for me.

Its called LOVE; as New Order sang, it belongs to all of us, howsoever rare the encounters with it might be.

****
I'm still sipping the champagne, right now (and listening to the Mozart Violin Concertos); and looking forward to a great night on Sunday.
Two fine footballing teams and nations with a long and rich tradition in the sport. Absolutely no shame or despair for either to lose. We just hope for a great contest.

Ive had love affairs where I’ve suffered less than I have as an England supporter.
Why did Ramsay take Bobby Charlton off?

[jayne lee wilson]

Ive had love affairs where I’ve suffered less than I have as an England supporter.
Why did Ramsay take Bobby Charlton off?

2-0 up in the Mexican high heat and thin air of León, it seemed a sensible move to sub Charlton after 70', Peters after 81'. At 2-1 up, Bell and Hunter would have appeared excellent subs.
Beckenbauer's shot for 1-2 (68') wasn't great, but Bonetti, in for the sick Banks, misjudged it, quite probably due to its unfamiliar flight in such conditions. True again of Uwe Seeler's backward header for the equaliser.
All in all, it is one of those great football tales that enrich its history, even though it was terribly upsetting at the time, especially given our team was stronger than 1966. Who will ever forget that 0-1 to Brazil the group stage? The Banks save, the Jairzinho goal, and Moore and Pele hugging at the end!

West Germany went on to have that legendary 3-4 defeat to Italy AET in the semis; watching, stunned at the 5 goals in ET, across midnight here, it was the match that made Italy into my official second team. Riva, Rivera! They all looked like film stars!

***
Sunday's final for me? About as perfect as it gets.

[Ein Heldenleben]

2-0 up in the Mexican high heat and thin air of León, it seemed a sensible move to sub Charlton after 70', Peters after 81'. At 2-1 up, Bell and Hunter would have appeared excellent subs.
Beckenbauer's shot for 1-2 (68') wasn't great, but Bonetti, in for the sick Banks, misjudged it, quite probably due to its unfamiliar flight in such conditions. True again of Uwe Seeler's backward header for the equaliser.
All in all, it is one of those great football tales that enrich its history, even though it was terribly upsetting at the time, especially given our team was stronger than 1966. Who will ever forget that 0-1 to Brazil the group stage? The Banks save, the Jairzinho goal, and Moore and Pele hugging at the end!

West Germany went on to have that legendary 3-4 defeat to Italy AET in the semis; watching, stunned at the 5 goals in AET, across midnight here, it was the match that made Italy into my official second team. Riva, Rivera! They all looked like film stars!

Thanks for the brief - in fact I “watched” the last thirty minutes hiding (Doctor Who fashion ) under the piano . Which is one better than my Dad who unable to handle the high heart rate engendered by extra time in “66 went for a walk.

[gurnemanz]

I spent the summer of 66 - the holiday between Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth - hitching round Germany with a friend. We had a Union Jack on our rucksack which we thought would help us get lifts. This worked especially well after the World Cup Final, which we watched in a pub, when we suspected some people picked us up just to tell us: "Das war kein Tor!" (That was no goal).

[Edgy 2]

Buying free kicks and penalties has always been part of the game but that's not the same as blatant diving.
Even playing for school teams we were told don't go to ground if there's no contact but don't do you best to stay on your feet if there's is the slightest touch by the opposition player.
England bringing on the Premier League's most fouled player (Grealish) as a way to win free kicks is a a legitimate tactic for me

[DracoM]

Blimey...............Roy of the Rovers it ain't!!

[johncorrigan]

I spent the summer of 66 - the holiday between Lower Sixth and Upper Sixth - hitching round Germany with a friend. We had a Union Jack on our rucksack which we thought would help us get lifts. This worked especially well after the World Cup Final, which we watched in a pub, when we suspected some people picked us up just to tell us: "Das war kein Tor!" (That was no goal).

How I long for the restrained and knowledgeable commentary of a Kenneth Wolstenholme. I'm hoping that BBC Scotland might cover the final on Saturday so I can enjoy the game and miss out on the incessant tub-thumping by commentator and analysts, as happened during the semi...well I say incessant...I got so fed up with it that I switched the sound off. I'm just assuming it continued.

[french frank]

What bothers me is the use that politicians make of national success. Remember, "Rejoice!" - boosting the failing government's poll ratings?

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/apr/09/margaret-thatcher-falklands-gamble

And then there's this - and a Bank Holiday if we win: