El fútbol vuelve a casa!

For the past month, although it felt like a year, Germany hosted a European celebration of football. We’ve had the highs and lows, the drama and suspense, last minute goals and penalty shootouts. Have I enjoyed it? Not so much, to be honest.

Normally I am all over these major sporting events. I am listening to podcasts, reading the websites and filling out my wall chart of the “Path to the Finals.” This time I have haven’t been inspired at all. I haven’t even watched many matches on TV, the odd highlight on YouTube maybe, and I only really watched a couple of England games, including the final.

I think it could be something to do with the boring football England played early in the tournament, or maybe the general lack of goals, the always frustrating VAR, or just the whole slow pace, it felt like watching a game of chess of a large green field. Teams seemed to be to afraid to lose rather than have the courage to win.

And even though we made it through to the final I still couldn’t find the fire.

I am actually glad that Spain won, they deserved it and had played by far the best football, not to mention that they had won all seven matches, against England, Italy, Germany, Croatia and France. They won the cup the hard way, and playing attacking football. Or as the TV pundit and former England striker Gary Linaker wrote “This is a win for attacking football.” He is right.

Did I want England to win? Of course, I did.

The last time (and first time) we won a major international competition was three years before I was on this planet. Was I unhappy that Spain won, not at all.

Even though the football has been like watching grass grow I have been enjoying the comments and facts floating around. And surprisingly King Charles III led the pack with the most humorous comment. After the last minute win in the semi-finals against the Netherlands he wrote “If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!”

Of course England staying in until the final was a huge boost for the UK economy. And the figures are a little mind-blowing.

Let’s just talk about beer, 300 million pints were served over the four weeks, filling pubs with a 100 million Euro summer bonus. With 17 million pints served just in the final match. And I know of a few bars in Dubrovnik that have been rubbing their hands and chilling the beer glasses as England progressed. The stock market climbed, the TV industry had its best month on record and airlines have had an unexpected month-long “fully booked” period.

I know someone who drove all the way from the UK to the finals and his ticket alone cost him a staggering £5,000.

Regardless as to whether we won or not it looks increasingly likely that Gareth Southgate will become Sir Gareth. Just the general hype around the whole event has been off the scales, even if the football hasn’t. I have messages from all over the world all the way through the tournament, and a few sarcastic ones after we lost the final. That “banter” side has been fun, more fun than most of the games.

So football isn’t coming home, I just hope that at some time in my lifetime it does come home, this year El fútbol vuelve a casa, it’s coming home to Iberia.

And I think it is only fitting that I leave the last word to the King “But please know that your success in reaching the European Championship final is a really great achievement in itself, and one that brings with it the pride of a nation which will continue to roar for the Three Lions today – and in the many triumphs which I have no doubt lie ahead." Well said, your Grace.   

Read more Englishman in Dubrovnik…well, if you really want to

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About the author
Mark Thomas (aka Englez u Dubrovniku) is the editor of The Dubrovnik Times. He was born and educated in the UK and moved to live in Dubrovnik in 1998. He works across a whole range of media, from a daily radio show to TV and in print. Thomas is fluent in Croatian and this column is available in Croatia on the website – Dubrovnik Vjesnik