June 23 – Most man of the match awards at Euro 2016 have been relatively straightforward but one or two have been so absurd, it makes you wonder what planet those who make the awards are living on. The most obvious blunder came after Germany’s 1-0 win over Northern Ireland earlier this week.
Irish goalkeeper Michael McGovern, who has only played professionally for two years, singlehandedly kept the scoreline down with a series of mind-boggling saves to ensure a euphoric last-16 appearance for his team.
Yet for some reason German midfielder Mesut Ozil, who had a fine game against unheralded opposition, was named man of the match.
It begs the question whether organisers are are obliged to hand the award to someone on the winning team which strikes one as ludicrous.
Card sharps
Anyone who has been to the Paris Eiffel Tower fanzone cannot fail to have been impressed by the range of activities available to fans and the fantastic atmosphere in front of the giant screens.
But the system of purchasing anything at the many stalls – presumably the same at other venues – leaves a lot to be desired. We have all turned up at places where cash is the only way of paying but anyone wanting to buy food or drink is forbidden to pay by cash. Plastic only is the rule (debit or credit) – in exchange for a special card provided at one of many nearby counters which, in turn, is then exchanged for beers, hotdogs, merchandise etc.
The idea is supposed to reduce queues and make buying and selling more simple but forcing every customer to fork out an extra Euro just for the privilege of being able to possess the said card (with the profits, one assumes, going into the pockets of the issuing company) seems very unfair if not immoral.
Welsh regain control of the TV remote
Speaking of the fan zones, Welsh fans in Paris were not too happy that the England-Slovakia group game was given greater priority in terms of prime position while they had to seek out alternative screens at the same site to watch the Wales-Russia game, broadcast live at the same time.
This Saturday, however, no such head-to-head issue will occur when the Eiffel Tower zone will be inundated with Welsh and Northern Irish fans – with England not due to play Iceland for another 48 hours.
Of course, it was English sabotage
The French Society of Lawns has joined the turf war that has erupted at Euro 2016. Chairman Jean-Marc Lecourt says all of the pitches would have been in perfect condition if UEFA had employed French groundsmen instead of handing the responsibility to British grass expert Richard Hayden.
Lecourt said the French were “in no way responsible for the incompetence and the sabotage of the mercenaries employed for the event.” He lamented that television viewers seeing the state of some pitches would assume French gardeners were to blame.
“It’s not true and we are suffering,” he added. “UEFA should have appointed French experts and let them get on with their job.”
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