SoccerBlogs

This article titled "Euro 2012: FA will contest Uefa charge of attempted pitch invasion" was written by Dominic Fifield in Krakow, for The Guardian on Sunday 17th June 2012 16.22 UTC

The Football Association is to contest a charge brought against it by Uefa, the European game's governing body, over the conduct of England's supporters during the Group D victory against Sweden at Kiev's Olympic Stadium on Friday.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Roy Hodgson's England choices pay off for the group stages" was written by Dominic Fifield, for The Observer on Saturday 16th June 2012 17.54 UTC

1. Created team spirit

The potential was there for England to appear divided in Poland, a legacy of the furore over Rio Ferdinand's non-selection, or even feel undercooked given Hodgson's belated appointment and, since then, the lack of time for him to make a real mark.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Jérémy Ménez catches the eye in glimpse of the new France" was written by Amy Lawrence, for The Guardian on Friday 15th June 2012 19.29 UTC

Considering France were on an unwelcome streak of eight matches without a win in tournament football, a run that goes back to the cataclysmic moment when Zinedine Zidane suddenly slammed into Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final, Laurent Blanc looked impressively indifferent when his team seized control in Donetsk.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Russia's Alan Dzagoev tells fans to behave at Greece match" was written by Paul Wilson in Warsaw, for The Guardian on Friday 15th June 2012 18.21 UTC

The Russia striker Alan Dzagoev has appealed to the country's fans to behave themselves at Saturday's final group game against Greece so as not to invoke the six-point suspended sentence Uefa imposed on Dick Advocaat's side following violent conduct at the opening match against the Czech Republic.

This article titled "Euro 2012: France take their chances to see off disappointing Ukraine" was written by Stuart James in Donetsk, for The Guardian on Friday 15th June 2012 19.03 UTC

A match that will be remembered for the extraordinary thunderstorm that led to the players leaving the pitch after little more than four minutes and play being suspended for the best part of an hour, ended with France cruising to a comfortable victory against a Ukraine side that never came close to reprising the performance they produced against Sweden.

This article titled "Euro 2012: A nation expects as moment of truth arrives for Ukraine" was written by Stuart James in Kiev, for The Guardian on Sunday 10th June 2012 19.39 UTC

It has been a while – 1,881 days, to be exact – since Michel Platini, the Uefa president, announced the co-hosts of Euro 2012 at the City Hall in Cardiff but the wait is nearly over for Ukraine.

This article titled "Football's dark side casts ominous shadows on the streets of Krakow" was written by Daniel Taylor, for The Observer on Sunday 10th June 2012 00.16 UTC

The graffiti stares back at you as soon as you leave John Paul II International Airport and set off on the drive into Krakow.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Uefa hits Russia with disciplinary probe over fans' attack" was written by David Hills, for The Observer on Saturday 9th June 2012 23.29 UTC

Uefa opened disciplinary proceedings against Russia on Saturday night over the behaviour of fans during their match against the Czech Republic.

This article titled "Euro 2012: 'Never say never,' says Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni" was written by David Hytner in Sopot, for The Observer on Saturday 9th June 2012 20.23 UTC

Giovanni Trapattoni says that his friend Fabio Capello made "grave mistakes" with the media during his time as England manager, as he outlined the belief that his Republic of Ireland team would emerge from Group C.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Tournament gains lift-off despite the vodka and the ultras" was written by Barney Ronay, for The Observer on Saturday 9th June 2012 18.50 UTC

Euro 2012: an early apology. Perhaps, just perhaps, it's all going to be OK.

Waking up in Poland on Saturday morning, there was a sense of expectation at eastern Europe's first major football tournament having been not just surpassed by a free-scoring, snag-free and above all largely peaceful opening day, but giddily so.

This article titled "Rio Ferdinand admits his England career is 'almost certainly finished'" was written by Daniel Taylor in Krakow, for The Guardian on Saturday 9th June 2012 08.01 UTC

Rio Ferdinand has admitted his England career is almost certainly finished after the disappointment and controversy of being excluded from Roy Hodgson's England squad for Euro 2012.

This article titled "England are a better-prepared bunch, ready to stand up to South Africa" was written by Robert Kitson in Durban, for The Guardian on Friday 8th June 2012 21.01 UTC

A defining fortnight stretches ahead for Stuart Lancaster's quietly optimistic England squad. Winning away in the Six Nations is never easy but three Tests against Springbok hosts who have won the last seven consecutive contests between the countries is about as gentle a road trip as the Isle of Man TT.

This article titled "Euro 2012: England need a song – a suffocating drum 'n' bass opus" was written by Barney Ronay, for The Guardian on Friday 8th June 2012 21.00 UTC

For a team hurled together in such haste, England have arrived at Euro 2012 looking remarkably complete. In fact, so many of the familiar tournament staples are already in place it raises an uncomfortable suggestion that the gilded tinkerings of previous regimes, the years spent sketching an outline of grand operatic failure on some humid foreign touchline, could have been condensed into a couple of weekend get-togethers and a day spent arguing in the car.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Holland camp unsettled by differing views on 'racist' abuse" was written by Paul Wilson in Kharkiv, for The Guardian on Friday 8th June 2012 19.55 UTC

Fault lines are developing within the Dutch squad over the alleged racist jeering at their open training session in Krakow this week.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Opening ceremonies, why do they insist on doing this to us?" was written by Scott Murray, for The Guardian on Friday 8th June 2012 19.30 UTC

It has never been satisfactorily established why major international football tournaments require opening ceremonies. There's a logic behind the organisers of the Olympic Games pre-empting their event with the sort of lavish song-and-dance productions that would put the combined efforts of Rodgers, Hammerstein, Lerner, Loewe, Bernstein, Berlin and the carpenter who used to build the sweeping staircases for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to shame: that flame won't light itself.

This article titled "Euro 2012: Denmark put faith in Nicklas Bendtner against Holland" was written by Paul Wilson in Kharkiv, for The Guardian on Friday 8th June 2012 19.44 UTC

Morten Olsen is clutching at the straw that is Nicklas Bendtner as he takes Denmark into another tournament opener against Holland.