National Identity Crisis

One thing that I love about huge soccer tournaments is that it’s usually country vs. country which is a format that I can’t get enough of. It’s like having two countries go to war without any fighting. But after watching some of Euro 2008 and doing a little research I discovered something that I found very troubling, half the players on these teams aren’t actually from the country that they are representing. So really can any national pride be gained from winning if you use foreign players?

One excellent example of what I’m talking about can best be displayed in Germany’s opening game of Euro 2008 when they played Poland and won 2-0. Lukas Podolski, who was born in Poland, played for Germany and scored both goals against his home nation. Is it right that a Polish born player scored both girls to help Germany win? In my mind it’s not right. Besides just Podolski Germany also has 2 other Polish born players, 1 Swiss player, and 1 Brazilian.

It is not just Germany who does this however, France has players that were born in Zaire, Cameroon, Senegal, and the Congo. Turkey has players born in Germany, France, Brazil, and England. Portugal uses players from Brazil, France, and Zaire as well. These aren’t just bench players though as most of these foreign players have a key role in the team and most are found within the starting XI. Some teams such as the Netherlands and Russia do not use foreign players and for that I commend them.

Now some might argue that these teams are simply trying to field the best team possible and I could see why that might be a good argument but not when it is a tournament in which countries play one another. To me this cheapens everything that Euro stands for and does nothing but show the weakness of a country to develop enough talent to fill a whole team. Another argument is that these players are just trying to play for a more competitive team in the case of Podoloski. Maybe if he stayed in Poland with fellow countryman Miroslav Klose, who also plays for Germany, the Poles would have a better team to work with.

When you are born in a country you should represent your country with pride and should not turn your back on that just to better your own career. A person’s nationality should stand for something and should not just be an answer on a Visa application.

Final is Set

After Spain’s 3-0 win over Russia yesterday the final of Euro 2008 is finally set. With the win the Spanish earned themselves a date with Germany on Sunday to decide who the best team in Europe is for the next 4 years. It should be an amazing game and one that fans have been hoping for since the knockout stage began. Both teams like to play offensive football and are always trying to push forward.

Many people felt that the Spanish defense would get exposed by the strong Russian attack but after watching the game I think they are more than ready for the task of stopping the Germans. Sergio Ramos who looked like he didn’t have a pulse for most of the tournament was by far the best man on the field yesterday as he was all over the place playing strong defense and getting forward to put crosses into the area (his good play however does not excuse his awful haircut). The Germans will have to do a bit of defending of their own as they will have their hands full with the likes of Fernando Torres, David Villa, and Cesc Fàbregas pushing forward for the Spanish.

The Spanish also seem to be a team of destiny as earlier in the knockout stage they broke a long standing jinx of winning an international game on June 22nd something that had eluded them 3 times previous. The Spanish had lost its last 3 games on the 22nd of June in penalty kicks so when the game went to penalties the whole of Spain were holding their collective breath.

However the Germans are no pushover and were one of the early favorites to win it all. But after an early loss to Croatia many questioned the ability of the German team. Things got worse for the Germans as their coach Joachim Loew was banned from the pitch for the German’s first game in the knockout stage after an incident in the last group match against Austria. But the Germans persevered and made short work of Portugal dominating the match from start to finish. They then went on to be the upstart Turks in a thrilling game that showed just how versatile the Germans were as they scored timely goals seemingly at will.


The key for the Germans in the final will be getting Bastian Schweinsteiger the ball early and often as so far this tournament every time he’s scored the Germans have won. He is easily tournament MVP and should also win the award for the best name in the tournament, just say it out loud a few times it’s really one of the best names going.


Germany coach Joachim Loew was asked if Spain compared with Portugal, who the Germans beat in the quarterfinals.

"Spain is a lot better than Portugal. It is a lot more flexible and not so predictable," Loew said. "They keep the ball well in their own rows and it's very hard to intercept. The Spain team shows great ease and it's very economical."

Lowe is very correct in his analysis of the Spanish and knows that his team will have to play their best game in order to come out on top. I personally feel that the Germans will win as their team is just solid from top to bottom and my early prediction of a free kick goal by Torsten Frings may still yet come to fruition.