The UEFA European Championship 2020 (Euro 2020) began last Friday with a match between Italy and Turkey in Rome. It was supposed to start last year, but got postponed due to the Covid19 pandemic. It is a special edition as 61 years ago (exactly 60 years last year) the first edition took place in France. 

At that time only 4 teams took part (24 right now) and it was on a relative small scale. It was also an ambitious project as it brought European countries together through sport which were normally divided by their political alliances and the Iron Curtain. 

Although the UEFA has always tried to keep politics out of sport, this has often been impossible. During the first edition, Spain withdrew from their qualifying match against the Soviet Union because of political protests. The first final between the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia (on the picture) was also full of political tensions as both countries were communist, but rivals, and the match was a matter of proving which form of communism was the best. 

Last week another political issue came to the fore as Russia made an official protest that Ukraine's shirt contained inappropriate political content. The shirt contained a map of Ukraine including Crimea which had been annexed by Russia in 2014 and  the slogan 'Glory to the heroes'. The map could stay, but the slogan had to go. 

Although football, and sport, are supposed to bring European countries together, it will always be filled with pride, prestige and political problems. 

Originally posted on Instagram on June 14, 2021