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🏆⚽ The UEFA European Championships (EURO) 2024 have kicked off Germany! As we gear up for a month-long football fest, let’s dive into the financial impact of the EURO on UEFA, Germany, and compare it with other major football tournaments. 🔹 EURO vs. World Cup & Champions League: The EURO is the second-largest national team event, only behind the FIFA World Cup, and is on par with the UEFA Champions League in terms of viewership and revenue. EURO 2020 saw a cumulative live audience of 5.2 billion, with the finals attracting 328 million viewers. Comparatively, the World Cup final in 2022 reached 1.5 billion viewers, while the Champions League final garners around 450 million annually. 🔹 Revenue Insights: In non-EURO years, club competitions (Champions League, Europa League) drive 85–90% of UEFA’s revenue. In EURO years, national team competitions contribute around 45% of total revenues. EURO 2024 is expected to generate €2.44 billion, highlighting its significance despite having fewer games than the Champions League. 🔹 Economic Boost for Germany: According to the Ifo Institute, Germany can expect a €1 billion ($1.07 billion) boost to its economy from foreign tourists during EURO 2024. This corresponds to about 0.1% of economic output in the second quarter, with the hospitality and food retail sectors benefiting the most. More than 600,000 additional foreign tourists and 1.5 million additional overnight stays are expected, echoing the impact of the 2006 FIFA World Cup hosted by Germany. 🔹 Favourites to Watch: England: The squad is valued at €1.52 billion, and key players include Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden, and Bukayo Saka. France: Valued at €1.23 billion, with stars like Kylian Mbappé, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurélien Tchouaméni. Portugal: Worth €1.05 billion, featuring Rafael Leao, Ruben Dias, and Bruno Fernandes. Spain: Valued at €0.97 billion, with standout players such as Rodri, Lamine Yamal, and Pedri. Germany: The hosts are valued at €0.85 billion, and key players are Florian Wirtz, Jamal Musiala, and Leroy Sané. These teams, rich in talent and valued highly in the market, are the top contenders for the EURO 2024 trophy. Their performance will be crucial not just for national pride but also for the tournament's overall impact. As we enjoy the games and gather for public viewings, let's appreciate the immense value and excitement the EURO brings to the football world and beyond. The UEFA EURO 2024 isn’t just a football event; it's a catalyst for growth and development in European football. Get ready for a spectacular summer of football! 🎉🥳 #Euro2024 #UEFA #TeamFavourites

The UEFA House is on Fire ♨ ♨ ♨ 🚒 🚒 🚒 (Part 13) Since the early 1960s, UEFA has had to face countless requests from private organizations wishing to either modify the format of #competitions organized by #UEFA or add new ones to the calendar. In Part 12 (👉https://lnkd.in/e9vvR5ES), we mentioned 3 cross-border #competition #projects on the #European continent; the geographical area covered by #UEFA: the "Télé-magazine Cup," the European Football League (EFL), and European SuperLeague (#ESL). In the mid-1960s, #UEFA was still seeking to assert its #legitimacy within the #European #football space. #UEFA was not yet well-known to the general public (often confused with FIFA) and did not yet have a #monopoly on organizing #European #competitions. The already significant number of existing supranational #competitions did not discourage the development of new, more or less ambitious ideas. Thus, on May 19, 1967, Marcel LECLERC submitted to Gustav WIEDERKEHR (UEFA president) a proposal for a "Latin" European championship. This proposal was based on a major weakness of the #UEFA competition format at the time: the direct elimination system. "Everyone agrees that a regular competition, involving more matches between major foreign clubs than the current European Cup, is necessary. Both from a sporting perspective and for reviving financial interests" (Marcel LECLERC). For LECLERC, the existing potential of television was not fully exploited, which was detrimental to both clubs and viewers. It's important to note that this criticism would be the one that led, 30 years later, to the EFL project that we will discuss in more detail later. The project of the Olympique de Marseille president (LECLERC) was a continuation of the Latin Cup, a #tournament held between 1949 and 1957 among French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian clubs, but with the aim of extending to other countries like Switzerland or Belgium. The format of this #competition included 2 phases: 2 groups of 6 clubs and qualification for the knockout phase. This format guaranteed clubs at least 5 home matches (at a time when ticket sales constituted a significant part of revenue). In the next post, we'll see how #UEFA and #FIFA managed to bury this project by asserting their #monopoly. If this topic interests you, I'll tell you everything in my upcoming book 📖 "Towards a new organization of football and sport in Europe" (HLSC Edition) 😁

The UEFA House is on fire ♨ ♨ ♨ 🚒 🚒 🚒 (Part 10) As we've seen previously (👉 Link to post 9 in comments), FIFA is trying to limit the influence that the #European #Union can exert on it. It thus seeks to strengthen the #economic and sporting #power of other continents by all means, which has led it to promote closed #leagues; a format that it had vigorously fought against when it supported UEFA in the ESL affair. During the first 15 years of its existence, #UEFA's situation was far from #monopolistic. Many transnational European #competitions existed outside of its control: -The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (Fairs Cup), which emerged in the mid-1950s and was controlled by a private Committee headed by Sir Stanley ROUS, who was then president of FIFA. -The Intertoto Cup, created in 1968, which "owes its name to the desire of sports betting companies to offer matches to bet on during the summer" (Wiki). -Other more regional competitions, such as the Mitropa Cup (Mittel-Europa) which brought together Austrian, Italian, Hungarian and Czechoslovakian clubs, or the Balkans Cup. In the mid-1950s, #UEFA launched its first edition of the European Champion Clubs' Cup (C1) which takes place from September to May, in two-legged knockout matches. It wasn't until 1961 that #UEFA created a second competition: the Cup Winners' Cup (C2). #UEFA is seeking #political and #sporting #legitimacy. It will be the #European #institutions that will bring it #political #legitimacy by granting it the status of privileged interlocutor of European #football; a role it self-assigned by self-proclaiming itself as the #governing body controlling #European #football #competitions. It will manage to obtain support from #FIFA, which wasn't so obvious at first given its president's involvement in organizing the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, which would become, under #UEFA's wing, the #UEFA Cup (C3). "From 1968 to 1994, #UEFA prohibited #clubs qualified for one of its official #competitions from participating in it at the same time ... From 1995, it was organized by #UEFA and became qualifying for the #UEFA Cup." (Wiki). #UEFA attempts and gradually succeeds in taking over the organization of all transnational #European #competitions. Its #monopoly is asserted both as a #market #regulator and as an organizer-operator of this same #market. This situation, although common within almost all European #federations, turns out to be a source of #conflict of interest and #abuse of #dominant position; and therefore illegal. I'll tell you why ... in my next posts 😉 If this topic interests you, I'll tell you all about it in my upcoming book 📖 "Towards a new organization of football and sport in Europe" (HLSC Edition) 😁

News that Qatar is bidding to host the finals of World Rugby’s Nations Championship will certainly raise a few eyebrows. The country which has hosted the FIFA World Cup is now reportedly keen to get into rugby, continuing the trend of Middle Eastern states’ investment in sport. It will no doubt give the tournament’s administrators plenty of food for thought, with promises of significant financial gains and a neutral venue likely to be particularly appealing. Those running the club game will no doubt also take note, with the prospect of a new source of investment likely to be of great interest, given the game’s current financial challenges. However, as with all potential Qatari investment in sport, there will be questions asked about “sports washing” and human rights. As a sport which places so much emphasis on its “values”, will rugby take a different view of these matters to other sports? There will also be questions about attendances and fan engagement, given that Qatar is not known as a hotbed of rugby fans. We all remember the pictures of empty stadia during the 2019 World Athletics Championships - would that be good for the game? The effects of heat for players will also need to be considered, as will the environmental impact. What do you think? #sportslaw #rugby

🔥 Guess which Olympic team this Ryan Giggs jersey belongs to? 🏆 Spoiler: It's not Wales. 😉 Tonight marks the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, although some sports, like football, have already kicked off. Among the teams, there's one with a particularly fascinating and unique Olympic history: Great Britain 🇬🇧 Comprised of talents from England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, Team GB represents a rare example of unity in football, a sport where they usually compete separately. With 🥇🥇🥇 Olympic gold medals (1900, 1908, and 1912), Great Britain stands as the most successful football team in Olympic history, alongside Hungary. 🏟️ Here's a historical tidbit: In 1900, football made its Olympic debut right here in Paris, and Great Britain won the tournament, represented by Upton Park FC. This pioneering event marked the beginning of a long tradition of Olympic football. ⚽️ However, after their participation in 1960, the team was absent from the Olympics for 52 years due to political and administrative complications between the football associations of the four nations. It wasn't until the 2012 London Olympics that the team made a comeback, motivated by the opportunity to compete on home soil. 🎡 The British team remains one of the most decorated in Olympic football history and will continue to hold this distinction at least until the next Olympics, as Hungary will not be competing in Paris either. 🗼 So, you've guessed it right—the jersey in the photo is from the London 2012 Olympics, representing the last British football team to compete internationally so far... As we await the potential reformation of this winning team, embodying Olympic ideals of sportsmanship, unity, and fair play, we wish all Olympic fans an exciting and inspiring Games! 🌟 #Paris2024 #Olympics #Football #Sportsmanship #Unity #FairPlay #Olympicgames

So UEFA has given green light to the new format proposed by Malta Premier League for the 24-25 season onwards. As you know, I don’t like this format and I think the flaws of the new competitions will overcome the strengths. Still, let’s wait till the official presentation to know all the details. In the article you can read about the future Winter Championship and Summer Championship. Two leagues in one, starting both from scratch. In terms of a league which lacks planning, scouting and sporting structures, adding more short term goals only will accentuate these problems. I guess the strongest argument to support this league is to have more meaningful games? My bet is that you will have less than with the more traditional formats. I hope I am wrong and this will be a change that benefits Maltese football but I think there are financial, sporting, sponsorship and visibility issues that need to be solved urgently. https://lnkd.in/d2yWRyMP

As the world gears up for the UEFA EURO 2024, the excitement is palpable. With 24 European countries' teams vying for the coveted title, this year's tournament promises to be an electrifying spectacle. England hosted UEFA Euro 1996, the first tournament to use the nomenclature "Euro [year]".  Originally called the European Nations' Cup, the tournament adopted its current name . Looking ahead, the 2024 UEFA European Championship, or UEFA Euro 2024 being hosted by the football powerhouse Germany, this prestigious tournament has kickstarted and has emerged to be a thrilling showcase of the best talent Europe has to offer in soccer. Tournament Format and Teams The 2024 edition of this tournament will feature 24 countries as teams, divided into 6 groups of 4 teams each. This format has been in place since the 2016 tournament, allowing for a more competitive and exciting group stage. The top two teams from each group will automatically advance to the round of 16, while the 4 best third-placed teams will also secure a spot in the knockout stage. This ensures that every match in the group phase carries significant weight, as teams fight to secure their place in the business end of the tournament. Host Cities and Stadiums Germany, the three-time European champion, will proudly host the 2024 Euros across 10 different cities and 10 state-of-the-art stadiums. The tournament kicked off on June 14th at the Fußball Arena München in Munich, with the host nation taking on Scotland. The grand finale will be held on July 14th at the iconic Olympiastadion in Berlin, which boasts a capacity of 74,461 - the largest stadium in the tournament. Other notable host venues include the BVB Stadion Dortmund (65,849 capacity), the Cologne Stadium (49,827 capacity), and the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg (52,245 capacity). Top Players to Watch The 2024 Euros will feature a star-studded lineup of players, with several world-class talents vying for the prestigious trophy.  Leading the charge is the electrifying Kylian Mbappé of France, who is ranked as the tournament's top player. The 24-year-old sensation will be looking to guide his team to glory and cement his status as one of the game's all-time greats. Joining Mbappé in the top 5 are England's Harry Kane, Belgium's Kevin De Bruyne, Spain's Rodri, and France's Aurelien Tchouameni - a testament to the depth of talent on display.  Veteran superstars like Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Robert Lewandowski (Poland), and Luka Modrić (Croatia) will also be eager to add one more major international trophy to their illustrious careers. The UEFA Euro 2024 is set to be a captivating spectacle that will showcase the very best of European football. #EURO2024 #FootballFever #EuropeanChampionship #UEFAEuro #RoadToVictory #Germany2024 #SoccerPassion #GameOn #FootballLegends #KylianMbappe #HarryKane #KevinDeBruyne #CristianoRonaldo #RobertLewandowski #LukaModric

"THE TEAM THAT NO ONE WANTS Barcelona only had victories and could be scary - but this text is not about them. It's the best women's team in the world, with the best player in the world, in the world champion country. He is number 1 in the UEFA rankings and defends the title of European champion. Until Wednesday, they had only won this season (22 in 22 games). Decades of evolution, investment and training in women's football are producing unbeatable results for the Catalan sides. Statutes, titles and numbers that can scare opponents, command respect, above all admiration. Looking at Barcelona, at this domain, and enjoying Aitana and company, is to see a direction, is to make sure that this works, which is to bet and provide conditions for girls and women to play football. And Barcelona is where these girls and women want to be. Winning, being the idol of so many people, leading a movement. As it is also Barcelona that we want to see - let the fans who filled Seixal say so. It's true that the game no longer counted for much. Both Barça and Benfica were already in the quarter-finals of the Champions League (in the case of the Portuguese for the first time, as we made a point of duly praising on the cover of this newspaper). But the tie between these two teams goes far beyond that. Benfica, a much more recent team, in a country still “light years” away from Spanish women's football (quoting coach Filipa Patão), was unable to draw only with the best in the world. What the Benfica women's team did was score 4 goals against a team that had only conceded 4 goals (at the time!) and show that it is moving at lightning speed to one day get there. And it could have even won, if it weren't for that goal in the last seconds, which left the Reds' players and technical team visibly frustrated. Yes, frustrated at stopping the previously unbeatable Barcelona - but it wasn't enough for what they wanted. Wanting to beat the best in the world is wanting, later on, to be the best in the world. Therefore, what Benfica achieved was not just a draw or the 17 thousand euros it is worth. Benfica showed that in football there are no invincibles and that we can always get excited when the little one beats the big one. The frustration of Benfica fans is a sign of impressive growth. No to moral victories, yes to victories-victories. Portugal is now in 5th place in the UEFA rankings and could take three teams to the Women's Champions League next year. The evolution of Benfica is the evolution of Portuguese women's football and whoever is falling behind on this path will regret it (if they haven't already). Returning to mention Filipa Patão, the performances, the boldness and the already some results of the women's Benfica are making this «the team that no one wants» to face. I don't know if that will be the case, but I suspect that this will at least be the team that many girls and women would want to be on." Catarina Pereira @ ABOLA Newspaper

Super Falcon Outing @ Paris 2024. The Nigerian Senior Female Team, the super falcon, qualified for this year Olympic games, after missing out for 4 consecutive times since 2008 in Beijing, after beating South Africa female team, as well as Cameron in their qualifying series. Due to their outstanding performance (in their qualifications), they were group with the world best female soccer's teams, such as Brazil, Spain and Japan. their Olympics camp opened in Spain three weeks to the tournament, and the players were invited such as Asisa Oshoala, Alozie Michelle, Esther Okoronkwo, Chiamaka Nnadozie, others like Rashida Ajibade amongst others etc conspicuously missing were Ashleigh Prumptre, Halimatu Ayinda due to veried injury. Their pre Tournament match was with the Canadian female team, which they lost to a lone goal. they then proceeded to the tournament, they opened their tournament fixture with Brazil and lost to a lone goal, went unto their second fixture with spain lost to another lone goal at the 85 minutes of the full time, and in their last fixture, where they lost to Japan by 2 goal to nill, after conceding two goal in the first half, with an equalizer from Jennifer Echegini the goal which happened to be their only goal of the tournament. Appraising their outing, Coach Randy Waldrum decry their performance to lack of adequate and timely preparation. According to analysis, their Olympics outing is one of the worst in their most recent season after the 2023 world Cup, in Australia and New Zealand respectively, considering the fact that, the team had what it takes to qualify from the group stage of the torment, but the Coach inability to utilize players was the major cause, while others argued it was the Coach non-inclusion of the experience players in his squad to the tournament, only sticking to new and Inexperienced players that led to this bad outing, others conclude the Coach should be given a matching order, as he overstayed his usefulness, hence such bad results. what then do you think, it's the major set back to the team, from your perspective?? what should have been done to avert this mishap?? and the way forward?? feel free to shared it in the comments section, yours truly sports curator.

Tomorrow marks the end of the 2024 European championship held in Germany. From the onset, the tournament has been about breaking records and setting new one's, saying goodbyes to our childhood legends, crying and rejoicing alongside our favourites. England and Spain will face off against each other at the Olympiastadion Berlin for the European championship trophy. Spain is looking to win their fourth euro's trophy since 2012, while England, the back to back finalists look to rewrite their story when they lost against Italy in a penalty shootout at the 2020 euro's. They are also looking to create history by winning their first ever European trophy. England has faced Spain 27 times, with the former recording 13 wins over the latter's 10 wins, with 4 draws. The most recent win for England was in the 2018 UEFA Nations League, when they secured a 3-2 victory over Spain. Can England turn the odds in their favour? or will Spain crush their hopes and dreams of becoming champions? #Euros2024 #Finals #England #Spain