In a sign that Marxism may become a faded memory in Europe the governing body of soccer on the continent, UEFA, has awarded the 2012 European Championships to a joint bid submitted by Poland and the Ukraine.
Without a doubt the Euro competition is far and away the biggest regional tournament in the world and is followed around the world -- in fact it's so big that even ESPN and its Canadian arm TSN broadcast all the games live in North America; and the passions involved can be even greater than the World Cup. This devotion to the sport is something I noted the first year I really paid attention to it, 1996, when it was held in England.
We're a long way from next year's showdown in Austria and Switzerland; but looking forward to 2012 I have to say it's truly remarkable that two countries that were once firmly under the darkness of Moscow -- one, an unwilling client state; the other, an even less willing province -- have progressed to the point that they are able to commit to pulling something this big off. Even more impressive is that they beat out the widely favoured Italy, still reeling from scandals related to game rigging and financial improprities not to mention being the target of Double Z's Headbutt Heard Round the World.
Speaking of which, here's a scene from last summer -- um, winter in Australia -- about a week after "The Headbutt." A game show contestant on Temptation, the revival of $ale of the Century, decided to imitate Zidane on stage. Watch what happens (and don't you love YouTube for moments like this! -- oh, if you're reading this in Facebook, click on the original post at the top):
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