Old rivalries give new meaning to international friendlies
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- Created: Wednesday, 19 November 2008 12:12
- Written by Darren Douglas
So this week we are given what may be regarded as a brief holiday jaunt by footballing supporters, international friendly football dominates the agenda but there is nothing really at risk bar pride. Nonetheless, I do not agree with some assertions expressed in recent years that international friendlies offer no real worth.
This Wednesday evening England take on Germany in Berlin, a fixture that has gathered history over the years with many famous significant clashes. Games such as this will always attract interest regardless of context because of their nature and past, when the 'major' footballing nations compete honour is a major factor. As with most news stories, the English press will always be particularly prone to over-hyping events, but this fixture will have that extra edge to it in Germany and will be of interest to footballing aficionado's across Europe as well.
Uefa have confirmed the expansion of the European Championships format from the 2016 tournament onwards. The change involves expanding the number of competing nations from sixteen to twenty-four, and as a part of this expansion the number of nations who will be eligible to host the tournament will be limited.