The most pleasant aspect of EURO 2008 for me has been the sight of banks of fans in the stadia. The corporate hospitality is still there, with 80,000 packages sold, and while that is 80,000 too many for my liking, I have not noticed huge numbers of suits inside the grounds like I have at the last three World Cups. No, in the matches I have attended in Innsbruck, Geneva and Vienna, I have been struck by the swathes of the competing countries' fans, the people who surely must get priority for tickets above all others. This is how footbal l used to be and could be again, I thought. This is because, for EURO 2008, national associations received 38% of the tickets, as opposed to the 19% they get from FIFA for World Cups. In addition, FIFA sold 15.2% of World Cup tickets in 2006 to the German FA and FIFA 'family', whoever they are, while UEFA's 2008 allocation was only 3%. Worryingly, UEFA's allocation to corporate hospitality has doubled since 2004 to 8% of the total, but it still less than FIFA's 11.3%. When fan tickets start at only €45, it is no wonder they sell these pac kages, which begin at €1250 for first-round games and rise to €2,000 for quarter finals, €4,000 for semis and €8,000 for the final, per person! 14% of EURO 2008 tickets went to sponsors as opposed to 16% of World Cup tickets, while the percentages for sales to the general public were 33% to 36%, where of course many genuine fans got their tickets from. UEFA's allocation of 19% per country per game does leave a lot to be desired on paper, when the Champions League final allocation per team is 27% and England fans at Wembley enjoy about 90% of match tickets. Many corporate tickets are still ending up in the hands of touts, who in the Alps are asking €400 per ticket as they did in Germany in 2006. While supporters used to be split between those who went to games and 'armchair' fans, the upsurge in interest in football and the unpleasant arrival of corporate hospitality into the people's game has forced fans elsewhere. Far more fans are to be found outside than inside the stadia themselves in host cities, where the practice of travelling overseas to watch games on big screens in publically-organised viewing areas is now the standard of fan culture. When six of the eight stadia in EURO 2008 hold only the minimum required capacity of 30,000 seats, supporters were always going to look elsewhere to congregate. Following their success in Germany in 2006, the future of overseas match trips looks to be ticketless travel to vast fan zones. While nothing beats the stadium experience, the fan zones are the next best thing when done well. In fact the Vienna fan zone is much better than those I went to in Germany, with many more big screens and reasonably priced food and drink stands you don't waste time queueing for. The uncomfortable feeling persists that in the modern age of football, fans forking out to attend games in globally televised tournaments are far from the priority for the organizers, and are largely accommodated for the purposes of adding colour to the commercially marketable televised spectacle. Nevertheless, the stadium ticket allocation here has felt like a breath of fresh air after the farce of the World Cup. With South Africa only two years away and the torrent of opprobrium heaped on FIFA's rotten ticketing allocation last time still vivid, let us hope the sport’s world governing body learns something from the fun and football-loving stadia of EURO 2008. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League

Last Stand in Salzburg for Hiddink or Rehhakles? Spain v Sweden, Innsbruck Greece v Russia, Salzburg Greetings from Innsbruck in the South West of Austria, a city in a spectacular mountain setting, capital of Tyrol and former home of the Winter Olympics. As in Group A, the two winners of the opening games play each other next in Group D. Spain, who steamrolled the Russians 4-1, return to the Tivoli Neu Stadion t o face a strong Sweden team who defeated holders Greece 2-0 in Salzburg. Both teams are packed with firepower up front: Hat-trick hero David Villa and Liverpool ace Fernando Torres for Spain, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, author of a golazo against the Greeks, and veteran 'bomber' Henrik Larsson for Sweden. A passport to the quarter-finals is the winner's prize. The other game in Group D today sees an eliminator between the European Champions Greece and Guus Hiddink's Russia. Greece played the pantomime villain in their opening game, their shamelessly defensive tactics earning them a round of boos from the crowd and descriptions such as 'blockhouse', 'concrete bunker' and 'stone wall' from the press. Otto Rehhagel's future as Greek coach probably hinges on tonight's game. After bringing the European crown back to Athens in 2004, Rehhagel's Greece performed abysmally at the 2005 Confederations Cup and failed to make it to Germany 2006. Forever a Greek hero for his extraordinary feat in Portugal, Rehhagel is unlikely to continue at the helm after these finals. "Why should I worry?" Rehagel said today. I am healthy and I have a lovely family. I have been with my wife for a wonderful 43 years. What bad can happen to me now?" Ironically, the Greeks qualified in some style for Euro 2008 and are overall an improved team from four years ago. Whether the (Greek) gods remain on their side however remains to be seen. Anything less than a win tonight and the reign of King Otto 'Rehakles' will soon be over. Hiddink too has a reputation to uphold. After taking South Korea to the 2002 World Cup finals, and then doing well with Australia in 2006, the Dutch coach was widely considered the best in the world. His experience with those two nations, as well as with PSV, Real Madrid and the Netherlands made him hot property for jobs including coaching Chelsea and England, before Roman Abramovich's millions lured him to Moscow. Yet a somewhat fortunate qualification after defeats in London and Tel Aviv, a 3-0 friendly battering by Romania and now a 4-1 thumping by Spain have tempered Hiddink's Midas Touch. Should Russia fail to register a victory today and with the Swedes still to come, their hopes of making it to the quarter-finals would look slim. Group C, aka the Group of Death, is still the sexiest. While many thoughts are turning to the France v Italy showdown as the potential pick of the games so far, at the same time many are wondering who can stop the Netherlands since the Oranje have banged seven goals past the 2006 World Cup finalists. The Dutch still have many mountains to climb. Spain and Sweden will surely give them a tough 90 minutes in their quarter-final in Basel, while Italy might have woken up enough to defeat them if they meet again in the semi-final. Add to that the dangers posed by Croatia, Germany and Portugal from the first half of the draw and it is clear that it is far too early to be planning the victory parade in Amsterdam. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008: Turkey 2:1 Switzerland, (Yakin 32', Senturk 57', Tu ran 90') Basel. It seemed as if the Alps themselves were crying overnight. The majestic range of peaks which tower over this little country like gods tried to intervene in the Swiss’ favour in Basel but in the end it was not enough. The rain-soaked field might have stopped the Turkish passing as they usually do and certainly helped Hakan Yakin steer Switzerland into the lead, but in the end it was not enough to stop Turkey scoring twice and stealing the spoils. The only post-match comment which mattered came from the mountains. From atop their lofty perch high in the clouds, the Alpine gods made their feelings clear, sending down gentle but persistent raindrops until dawn. Most of Switzerland was covered in melancholic tears from the sky after the joint host-nation became the first to be sent home from EURO 2008. At least the journey home is a short one, but the players and fans will be forced to stay and watch the rest of the tournament in envy. Whenever the hosts exit, it is a blow to any big football tournament, but for this to happen on only its fifth day, Euro 2008 has taken a serious blow. What hopes there are of Austria carrying the flag cannot last for much longer either as their western neighbours were clearly the stronger of the two. Home advantage in the end counted for little and the Swiss are packing their bags already. While only 41% of the nation said they were interested in the event before it began, and a first-round exit for both Austria and Switzerland was arguably on the cards as soon as they won the right to host the tournament, this still seems a sad day. Switzerland might never have been a lan of ‘fussball-fieber’ (football fever) as billed, but it did at least make an effort to prettify itself for the event. Everywhere you travel here, you see Euro 2008 decorations and merchandise, and even if the country did not get its act together when it came to hotel provision, it did more than enough with promotion. It never felt quite as exciting as Germany did two years ago, but then this is a smaller and more private country and at the Euros there are half the amount of teams in the World Cup and no fans from Africa, Asia or the Americas to spice things up. This might be a country whose people prefer individual sports like tennis and skiing, hiking and climbing, but to modify Sir Christopher Wren's epitaph, si requiris Helvetiam, circumspice (if you are looking for Switzerland, look around you). Whatever their history of questionable neutrality and reluctance to engage with the rest of Europe or the world outside, the Swiss undoubtedly live in God's country when it comes to nature. The entraning beauty of their mountains and lakes and breathtaking purity of their air, water and food can never be lauded enough. If they are not the best football team in Europe, they are forgiven, because they certainly excel in many other areas and after all they are a small country with a professional league to match. At least they have a place in football's history as the site of the first continental club, the Lausanne cricket and football club of 1860. That Switzerland have qualified for recent European Championships and World Cup finals and been a tough nut to crack for so many opponents is perhaps proof they have over-achieved. It didn't work out this time, but the Swiss are not about to join the San Marinos or Andorras of European football. I am sorry, therefore, to see the little square flags being put away and the national euphoria over, but grateful for the hospitality I have had and happy that EURO 2008 could come to this lovely country in the first place. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Results 10th June: Spain 4:1 Russia (Villa 20' 45' 75', Pavluchenko 86', Fabregas 90'), Innsbruck Sweden 2:0 Greece (Ibrahimovic 67', Hansson 73'), Salzburg Now we have seen all the teams, what have we learnt so far? Ibrahimovic's golazo against Greece was the most spectacular goal, Spain's 4-1 torching of Russia the most alluring and the Dutch's 3-0 thumping of Italy the stand-out result of the first slew of games. Fears that the Oranje would miss Arjen Robben proved groundless as they trounced the World Champions, defeating the Azzurri for the first time since Nottingham Forest were last crowned English champions. Italy has been awash with soul-searching today after such a clamorous capitulation. Italian back fours are supposed to be as compact as ranks of Roman legionary, not crumble like old Garibaldi biscuits left in the tin for too long. In midfield and attack too, the azure blues were decidedly off-colour as the Dutch sailed past them time and again, bagging three goals when it could have been more. All of a sudden, the in-vogue formation of 4-1-4-1 looked rather ropey. How fortunes change. Marco Van Basten is once again the Netherlands' poster boy after serious doubts were raised following his team's heavy weather in qualifying, while the blissful memory of the World Cup triumph in Germany has begun to fade. My suspicion is the Dutch are yet to prove they can be consistent so let us not get carried away. Remember how the Dutch steamrollered Yugoslavia 6-1 in the Euro 2000 quarter-final before grinding to a 0-0 draw and defeat on penalties against Italy in the semi-final. More recently, they began the 2006 World Cup at a canter, dispatching Serbia 6-0 in the first round before succumbing dismally 1-0 to Portugal in an ill-tempered game that produced four red cards and eight yellow cards. It was a Dutchman who coined the phrase 'sexy football' but it wasn't his countrymen playing the hottest soccer so far in the Alps. That award goes to Spain, who followed a stop-start 1-0 win over the USA in their final preparation match with a 4-1 mutilation of Russia and Guus Hiddink. How much should we read into Spain's deliciously simple pass and move soccer I am not sure. Russia were rubber in defence and, here comes my two cents, I could not imagine England being so outplayed had they qualified in place of them. Russia, let us not forget, were woeful 3-0 losers at Wembley in qualifying and also lost away to Israel, only scraping into the finals courtesy of England's self-destruction at home to Croatia in their final game. Guus Hiddink may be one of the world's top coaches, but his CV looked creased after Spain had finished with his latest team. Other sidesvmaking up the numbers are Poland and Turkey, who were utterly insipid losing to Portugal. And Greece, you might say, but I shall defend Otto Rehagel's team for providing some welcome entertainment. The sight of the Salzburg arena booing and whistling the Greeks for their negative play was wonderful theatre. Yes, we all want to be entertained and God forbid every team played like Greece, but I have a sneaking admiration for a team who managed to win Euro 2004 without any flair and who have the gall to turn up four years later with the same coach and same tactics! Plus we like to boo the baddie. The Czechs and French have yet to convince me while Sweden and Croatia's victories confirmed they will be tough nuts for any team to crack. Romania have yet to show what they are about, if anything while of the twin hosts, Switzerland could yet make it to the second round if results go their way. After, Holland, Portugal and Spain, the fourth and last team in the A-League thus far is of course Germany, who looked a much improved and more confident team than two years ago. That the Germans could be on the road to another final is demoralising on the one hand, but only to be expected on the other. There will be tougher tests than Poland ahead for Joachim Low's side, but there was an inescapable feeling during that game that we have been down this familiar road many times before. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008: Netherlands 3:0 Italy (Van Nistelrooy 26', Sneijder 31', Van Bronckhorst 79' ), Stade de Suisse/Wankdorf, Bern Now hands up who predicted that scoreline? 'As a finishing touch, God created the Dutch' said a fan's t-shirt in Berne. And I wondered how much the hand of the divine was behind last night's lightning bolt of a scoreline at the Wankdorf. While not quite another 'Miracle of Bern', there was something magical about watching the world champions getting clubbed 3-0. There is also nothing like seeing football 'experts' get it so wrong. The 2002 World Cup could not be bettered for shock after shock, but Greece's win in Euro 2004 was also wonderfully unforeseeable. As we remind the Premier League ad nauseam, football needs to have that umpredictability factor for it to thrive. I was all about to pen a piece about the soccer gods punishing Italy for y ears of gamesmanship with some dodgy refereeing before, a) I remembered that already happend six years ago when Ecuadorian funny-man/referee Byron Moreno orchestrated a 2-1 win for South Korea over the Azzurri at the World Cup (though Italy also had themselves to blame that day to be fair), and, b) The half-time professors concluded that the goal was good because Gianluigi Buffon had pushed Christian Panucci off the field in the same movement which produced the strike. Confused? I am. I thought staying over the line was a classic way to play the opposition offside or your teamate on. If so, then our initial reaction was correct: that Ruud Van Nistelrooy was a country mile offside when he tapped in Wesley Sneijder's drive in the 27th minute. I'm not the only one. None other than Roberto Donadoni, Milan and Italy legend and current Azzurri coach, told Italian TV after the game that he thought it was clearly off. Italy, the soccer nation neutrals love to hate (Perche? Catenaccio, br ibing refs, Berlusconi, Materazzi...), paid for the Christian Vieri dive which helped eliminate Australia in World Cup 2006, as well as Marco Materazzi's foul-mouthed gamesmanship which saw Zinedine Zidane sent off in the final. Yes it was cruel, but we cannot blame Van Nistelrooy, even though he has been known to fool linesmen before. When he scored tonight he turned immediately to the linesman after netting and ran away convinced he was onside. The same striker also stayed on his feet minutes earlier when Buffon made contact with him in the area, upsetting his stride. I can't imagine an Italian player doing the same. That is the difference between Italy and the Netherlands at football. The Dutch play clean and foul clean too. Compare the card fest of blatant fouls and dissent Holland served up at the last World Cup with the Italian 'furbizia' (craftiness) which lets get away with it so often. If you were in any doubt, watch Materazzi's foul on the raiding Dirk Kuyt around the half hour mark in slow motion. Materazzi had nothing in his body language to suggest he was playing irreguarly, but he stealthily tapped Kuyt's right foot with his as he sped past, forcing the Liverpool man to lose his footing almost imperceptibly. The Italians are experts at shirt-tugging, niggling and upsetting their opponents and in 2006 escaped unpunished too much for their eventual victory to shine. The Italians cannot complain on the night anyway as the Netherlands had dominated the game before taking the lead against an anaemic Italy. There was nothing wrong with the Dutch's second goal in the 31st minute, which came only seconds after Giovanni Van Bronckhorst had cleared off his own line. Wesley Sneider's volley past Buffon was almost as surreal as his team's sky blue socks. Could the World Champions really be 2-0 down and so hopelessly on the ropes? Had the Italians' world-class goalkeeper not shown his class ten minutes lat er as Van Nistelrooy bore down on him, it would surely have been 3-0 Netherlands at the break. When Gianluca Zambrotta turned Van Bronckhorst's header past Buffon with eleven minutes to go, the karma was in full flow. Ok, enough Italy-bashing. I have always liked Roberto Donadoni and will feel sorry for him if this costs him his position, which despite his recent contract extension, has been hanging like a thread and rumored to be in its final days for some months. The Italians came back into the game after Alessandro Del Piero, enjoying an Indian summer, came on in the 64th minute to provide a roaming threat to the Dutch's d efence. A multi-man move in the 70th minute proved how good the Italians are and how they should not be written off yet. The Azzurri are traditionally slow-starters to tournaments and so it proved once more. But the world champions are far from beaten. In 1994 they lost their opening World Cup game to Ireland but then reached the final, which they only lost on penalties. The Netherlands had not beaten the Azzurri for 30 years before the match but before long, it seemed there was only going to be one winner on the night. Italy were just not at the races, as if they were pre-programmed to start tournaments slowly. While the 57 million national team coaches in Italy have begun throwing tomatoes, or should that be oranges, the Italy-bashers should beware. The siege mentality worked in their favour in 1982 and 2006, and they have two games left in which to perform. ... Not understanding Schweizer-Deutsch enough and not wishing to be bored by the French-Swiss commentating team, I watched the game on Italian-speaking Swiss TV. This was a whole lot better than the interminable post-game analysis on RAI, which lost me in its byzantine detail from irritating pundits, self-proclaimed soccer-boffins who almost sent me to sleep before I could hit the off button. You might think England is a football-loving country, but there is nowhere in Europe, with the possible exception of Spain's daily 'AS', which can hold a candle to the minutiae, the obsessive clinical dissection of the game, as practised in Italy. ... The Swiss reaction to their 1-0 loss to the Czechs could have come straight out of Fleet Street. A picture of Czech defender Tomas Ujfalusi handling the ball was splashed across the front pages of the local rags - 'Hands off our cup!' bleated the headline. Meanwhile, in another English parallel, the more cerebral side of the debate has centred around the preponderance of foreigners in the domestic game, which they have belatedly realised is hurting the Swiss national team on its big day at Euro 2008. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

EURO 2008: France 0:0 Romania , Zurich It was inevitable after such a promising start to the tournament. France and Romania ground out a bore-draw in Zurich. While the 2000 winners France enjoyed the lion's share, or should that be the cockerel's share of the ball, they had no end product and Romania's defence did their job with some ease. This means both teams will be fired up when they play tonight's competitors in their second game. Italy v Holland was the stand-out game of the first round as soon as it was announced so let us hope it lives up to its hype. Bern today looked like it was hosting the World Cup with a sea of mostly Dutch fans flooding the historic city centre. The procession of orange across the bridge from the old town towards the stadium looked like the Pied Piper of Hamelin was in town. The Dutch exodus from Interlaken this morning was also a sight for anyone's eyes, clearly orchestrated, but as ever with the orange hordes, without a hint of trouble. If only every nation could have such a sense of reverie when it comes to football. And how strange that alcohol is often cited as a catalyst for trouble when the Dutch fans down gallons of it and still smile. The poor azzurri. The world champions share a border with Switzerland but their supporters are woefully outnumbered by Holland's. While Italy are traditionally not known for their away following, they did have a good turnout in Germany in 2006. Incidentally, the UEFA allocation to Italy was 6,000 tickets. Expect there to be at least four times that many orange shirts in the Wankdorf tonight. With both the world champions and the Dutch missing key players the game looks tough to call but the bookies are favoring Italy. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Normal 0 21 MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Normale Tabelle"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} EURO 2008: Germany 2:0 Poland (Klose 20’, 72’) Klagenfurt

Now Euro 2008 is in full swing, spare a thought for those not invited to the party. 36 European nations failed to make it to the Alps. England might stand out among them, but also missing is 2006 World Cup quarter-finalists Ukraine, plus nations of th e calibre of Belgium, Serbia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway and Ireland. \ England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland really should have revived the British Championship this summer and for extra spice added the Republic of Ireland and as a wild card, Gibraltar. A friendly with Gibraltar from any of the four UK nations with an empty diary this month would be a nice affirmation of the peninsula's desires to stay British. The Rock is not affiliated to UEFA, thanks to Spain's filibustering, so like an ugly girl or boy, they are desperate for any date. Given that it is customary to play a reciprocal fixture at your visitors' stadium after inviting them to yours, England could easily drop by for 90 minutes, though the apes would probably nick the half-time oranges. England are on the quayside looking on again but looking tasty too after dispatching the USA 2-0 at Wembley last week. David Beckham is clearly a new man and seemed to be glowing post-match having seen off the challenge of his young pretender David Bentley, with a top-drawer 45 minutes. That Becks could figure in a fourth World Cup finals seemed impossible when he gave his tearful resignation speech in Germany 2006, but now the prospect grows ever likelier. England finally have found a rhythm under Fabio Capello and on that performance, could surely have made more of an impression at Euro 2008 than some of the qualifiers and 'qualifers' (host nations). 2010 now beckons for England fans hopeful of a renewed assault on the big prize. The USA took more of a psychological blow than anything from Wembley. Having lost by the same score 14 years ago at the same venue, the States were looking to prove progress had been made. In the meantime the States have achieved a World Cup quarter-final finish in 2002, have won three of the last four CONCACAF Gold Cups and enjoyed recent away wins over Euro 2008 qualifiers Poland and Switzerland. Barring an almighty catastrophe, the US will be in the World Cup finals forever more, given CONCACAF, one of FIFA's weaker regions, with coincidentally two large TV markets, is handed a generous three and a half places for the finals. But the US is most eager to impress against European nations like England, which makes Wembley's 2-0 defeat all the more depressing. "We're Americans, we want to be the best at everything," said winger DaMarcus Beasley post-game, and he meant it. The Republic of Ireland and Colombia squared up at Fulham a day later in front of a passionate and colourful 18,000 crowd. Both nations have been off the world radar for the past few years. Ireland did reach the second round of the 2002 World Cup where they lost on penalties to Spain, but their campaign was wounded by Roy Keane's furious outburst and exiling from the camp. While the Jack Charlton years were always going to be a one-off era, Giovanni Trapattoni looks to have what it takes make Ireland a regular qualifier for tournaments once again. Trap, a coach of enormous experience, belied his white hair and 66 years, by whistling as loudly as ever to his players (they nickname him 'il fischio' - the whistle, in his native Italy) and gesticulating manically as only he can on the touchline. Post-game, Trap had the enthusiasm of a teenager for the game, speaking as if he was in his first job and certainly in no mood for retirement. He mentioned Greece's unforeseen Euro 2004 win as his inspiration, explaining it thus; "If you are a pianist, you play the piano, if you are a singer, you sing, so I say to my players, 'What are we? We are a team." Eire played a solid, and almost Italian defensive game against Colombia, grabbing an early goal through Robbie Keane and then defending it against an increasingly rampant opponent. But it was no catenaccio night. Ireland showed impressive teamwork and a fluid organisation sadly lacking under previous incumbents Steve Staunton and Brian Kerr. Colombia look to be on the up too after defeating Argentina and drawing with Brazil in their 2010 World Cup qualifiers. Having not qualified for the past two finals, Los Cafeteros seem to be set fair to retake the place behind South America's big two which in the early 1990s seemed would be theirs for some time. Unbelievably, Colombia only entered World Cup qualifying in 1958 but made it to the finals in Chile four years later. Their next appearance in 1990, saw them draw 1-1 with eventual winners Germany in the group stage, a curious game in which captain Carlos Valderrama, the first Colombian ever to play in Europe, appeared to feign injury and be stretchered off before quickly r ecovering during the first half before his team left the soon-to-be world champions chasing shadows with some amazing passing football. Colombia seemed to be toying with the Germans, who then shocked them by taking the lead in the 89th through Pierre Littbarski, sending Colombia towards elimination. Freddy Rincon saved their bacon by nutmegging Bodo Illgner in injury time. Crazy goalkeeper Rene Higuita, he of the scorpion kick, monkeyed around against Cameroon in the next round and was dispossessed a good 40 yards out of his goal by Roger Milla, who went on and scored and sent Colombia home. Colombia hit the headlines for the wrong reasons in 1994 when they lost 2-1 to the USA in a game many have fingered as being fixed by drug baron Pablo Escobar and friends. His namesake Andres Escobar scored an own goal and was promptly murdered on his return to Colombia. Times have changed, Pablo Escobar is dead, the Medellin cartel and the FARC no longer hold sway, and the national team is undergoing renaissance too. Jorge Luis Pinto has fashioned a neat passing team with plenty of pace and technique, although against Ireland they showed the classic shortcoming all great passing teams suffer from, the lack of a powerful striker. Euro 2008 might be underway, but those not at the party still have the future to dream about. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

With Euro 2008 only moments away, the temperature is cooling. Well, it is the Alps after all. Football tournaments in the summer conjure up t-shirts and sun cream as well beer and polyester souvenirs for me as a fan but I've just donned my third layer in Interlaken. I am residing in the heart of holiday Switzerland because Basel, the arrival point for so many, has not got a bed to spare for miles around. Unlike Germany in 2006, where you could always find a room at the last minute, Switzerland simply is not prepared for the influx of fans. Shame on you for missing such an Alpine cash-cow, Heidi. 'Expect emotion' promised the organizers. Well I certainly have been through a bunch the past few days searching in increasing desperation, in neighbouring France and Germany as well, for a bed within 50 miles of the host city or less than a mountain hike to the nearest train station, and which costs less than a transatlantic flight. Last night I just gave up the ghost and hopped on a train to a non-host city, which I figured would be free of those pesky football fans. How wrong I was. The Dutch have colonised Interlaken, a tourist city where Indians and Koreans are oddly ubiquitous too. Fair play to them, the Dutch fans have no shame in looking or acting stupid, and age never seems to be a barrier to being an oranje follower, either. Rather their ‘barmy army’ than the simmering aggression you too often feel with England fans (though the last World Cup was on the whole a vast improvement.) The Swiss are not known for having a warlike side or a desire to ‘conquer’ others so you would expect the place to take Euro 2008 fairly gently. But while they are one of the world’s more private nations but they look all set to ring their bells loud across the valleys once the game kicks off. The red and white colours are everywhere and there is genuinely growing excitement, even in this normally tranquil oasis of placid lakes and majestic mountains. A trip to Switzerland is supposed to clear the air, not give you a headache, so we’ll see what Euro 2008 feels like in the morning. As for the football, England’s painful exclusion bites even harder now I am here. An advert for Euro 2008 betting has an England fan plastered on it grasping his coupon (being supposedly neutral and exempt from the patriotic betting syndrome) while the English-language welcome guide to Switzerland for Euro 2008 also makes a play on the fact Engli sh visitors can enjoy themselves more than ever without any balls to worry about. Greece’s victory in 2004 should have dented the validity of any predictions once and for all, but my pre-tournament favourites Italy suddenly look rather shaky now that anchorman Fabio Cannavaro has withdrawn. While the Germans or Dutch are still good bets on paper, this tournament is being played on Alpine meadows, and I have an inkling that this time a major trophy could at last be on its way to the Iberian Peninsula… © Sean O’Conor & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting