BERLIN – After a dramatic and controversy-filled group stage, thanks to VAR, UEFA 2024 is shaping up to be one of the memorable in recent memory thanks to some early exits by defending champion Italy, stoppage-time heroics from England and Türkiye—nee Turkey—emerging as the second “home” team over in Germany.
VAR Headaches? Good For The Game Or a Concern? C’mon now! It wouldn’t be EURO 2024 without talking about the most powerful force NOT on the pitch in the form of VAR. Whether over in Europe—or all the way over in the Americas at COPA America—the blue-shirted admins with their yellow flags have caused heartache and non-stop controversies in both global tournaments.
With so many games in the group stage and Round of 16 having already been affected by a goal that would be overturned due to an offside, or a team trying to play the ball into the other end, only for it to be whistled dead, I think I speak for many footy fans in saying that VAR is proving to be a bane of the game in terms of disrupting the game flow, taking away some brilliant moments on the pitch and all around undermining the enjoyment of it.
Ask me this? How many times have you initially cheered a goal, only to wait with abated breath, for it to be disallowed, because of an elbow or a TOE being offside? God knows if VAR decides the outcome of upcoming heavyweight clashes between Spain-Germany and France-Portugal, but heaven forbid if it rules a game-changing goal offsides at the final in Berlin.
UEFA may need to look into tweaking and reforming it by 2028 in England.
La Furia Roja The Team To Beat?: Speaking of the Spanish, it seems to be the general consensus that La Furia Roja is shaping up to be the team to beat in Germany. Thanks to a balanced offense featuring seven different goal scorers led by Lamine Yamal, Gavi, Alvaro Morata, Nico Williams, Fabian Ruiz set to face fellow heavyweight and host Germany that also has some firepower of its own in Kai Havertz, Toni Kroos and Jamal Maisala. It’s tragic that these two nations are meeting so early, as opposed to a possible final, in what should be an epic fixture.
Türkiye The Second “Home” Team In Germany? Thanks a successful run through the group stage and buoyed by the large Turkish population in Germany, Türkiye has emerged into a dark horse sleeper side that could make a run to Berlin. Germany, with a estimated Turkish population of seven million, including an estimated 120,000-130,000 living in Berlin has showed up in full force in giving Türkiye a red-clad home field advantage, a la South Korea, in the 2002 World Cup co-hosted with Japan.
With a historically huge match vs. the Netherlands, a positive result could springboard an already confident and talented Turkish side playing like they are back in Istanbul.