Are you Ready For Fantasy Football?By: Chris Robertson
To be honest, I knew very little about fantasy football. I was one of those sports fans who follows football when it is in season, watches some games on TV, follows games on the internet, somehow remembers every score and stat, and then gets really excited during the playoffs and, of course, the Super Bowl. I don't have the time or money to go see actual NFL games, though I am sure I'd greatly enjoy them.Anyway, I kept seeing ads for fantasy football online and in other places wondered what it was, so I did some research. Apparently, fantasy football is a sports game for those who want to be involved with football all year round. And not just involved as in watching games, but actually owning, managing and running a "fantasy" football team. When the real football season starts - and it can be the NFL or a division of the NCAA or some other league - scores in the fantasy football leagues are determined by using statistics compiled by actual players.Who started fantasy football, and when? It all goes back almost 50 years when a limited partner in the Oakland Raiders and some of his sports writer and editor friends cooked up the idea during a long road trip. When they got back, they started the first fantasy football league. Initially, it was hard to form leagues and keep the information flowing, but then came personal computers and finally the Web. Today, fantasy football is big business and fantasy football team fanatics are being courted by television networks and advertisers because they watch more games, buy more tickets, and spend more on their sport than average fans.But how does it all work? The big attraction of fantasy football is that it's not just watching games. Fantasy football is living the game and actively participating in it. You pick a team, you draft players, you follow rules, you observe salary caps and negotiate contracts. Franchise owners may have to pay (fictional) taxes, trade players, and, of course, try to win games and championships, establish dynasties or make to a coveted Hall of Fame. Things can get quite competitive, but you make friends in the process and many of the same teams play each other season after season.Fantasy football games have as many rules as the real thing. Scoring can be complex as it depends on the stats of actual players on actual teams. And since fantasy league teams have players from a number of teams, a fantasy franchise owner often doesn't know which real-world team he should root for! What's important here is that the real performance and stats of real players in real games decides how well your fantasy team does. So picking and drafting the right players is very important. How do you get started with this fascinating and addictive pastime? Fantasy football information is easy to come by on the web. Look around, check some of the many leagues, and then sign up with one and become a team owner. There are any number of leagues with different flavors and rules (the commissioner usually determines the scoring system). Some leagues cost a lot, but others are affordable and suit the novice as well as the expert fantasy football player. Give it a shot!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Football in the UK - A Brief History and Overview of the The Premier League
By: Dave Page
The Premier League, also affectionately known as The Premiership, is the pride of football in the United Kingdom. The league is relatively young and was formed in response to the decline of the sport in UK during the 1980s. Football stadiums were being neglected and English football clubs were banned from competition in Europe as a result of the disaster that occurred during the 1985 European Cup Tournament at Heysel Stadium in Brussels. The Football League First Division, which had been the major English football league since 1888, lagged well behind its Italian and Spanish rivals and numerous top English players chose to play abroad. Around the early 1990s, things begin to turn around as England successfully reached the semi-finals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. And Europe’s governing body of football, UEFA, lifted the five year ban on European competitions in that same year. The league has seen an explosion in growth and is currently the most watched sporting league in the world. In February of 1992, The FA Premier League was formed and the first games were played in August of the same year. Originally, there were 22 clubs in league. However, currently there are 22 teams in the league. The FA Premier League’s name was officially changed to the The Premier League in 2007. The league is also known as Barclays Premier League since its official sponsor is Barclays Bank. Currently the league is at the top of the English football league system and at the end of the 2007-2008 season had completed 16 seasons of football. The Premier League’s football seasons run from August to May and each team plays a total of 38 games. Over the years, a total of 40 football clubs have participated in The Premier League. However, of the 40 teams that have competed in The Premier League, only 4 have won the UK Premiership title – those teams include Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The current football champion is Manchester United who holds the record of winning the most Premiership titles – Manchester United boasts a total of 10 UK Premiership titles. The Premier League is structured as a corporation with the 20 participating football clubs holding interest in the league. Each participating club in The Premiership is treated as a shareholder and is entitled to one vote on the issues such as contracts and rule changes. The chairman, chief executive, and board of directors oversee daily operations of The Premier League are elected by the shareholders. Though the Football Association is not involved directly in the daily operations, it is treated a special shareholder and holds the power of veto during the election of the chief executive and chairman whenever new rules are put in place by the league. The UK Premiership is wildly popular throughout the world and owes much of its success to media coverage of football sporting events. The decision in 1992 to assign broadcasting rights to BSkyB has paid off enormously. Over a half a billion people follow the league and it is particularly popular in Asia, where it is the most widely promoted sports program. With growth and statistics like these, it seems The Premier League has stumbled upon a golden formula. As long as they continue to refine and improve it, The Premiership should continue to bask in success for years to come.
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The Premier League, also affectionately known as The Premiership, is the pride of football in the United Kingdom. The league is relatively young and was formed in response to the decline of the sport in UK during the 1980s. Football stadiums were being neglected and English football clubs were banned from competition in Europe as a result of the disaster that occurred during the 1985 European Cup Tournament at Heysel Stadium in Brussels. The Football League First Division, which had been the major English football league since 1888, lagged well behind its Italian and Spanish rivals and numerous top English players chose to play abroad. Around the early 1990s, things begin to turn around as England successfully reached the semi-finals in the 1990 FIFA World Cup. And Europe’s governing body of football, UEFA, lifted the five year ban on European competitions in that same year. The league has seen an explosion in growth and is currently the most watched sporting league in the world. In February of 1992, The FA Premier League was formed and the first games were played in August of the same year. Originally, there were 22 clubs in league. However, currently there are 22 teams in the league. The FA Premier League’s name was officially changed to the The Premier League in 2007. The league is also known as Barclays Premier League since its official sponsor is Barclays Bank. Currently the league is at the top of the English football league system and at the end of the 2007-2008 season had completed 16 seasons of football. The Premier League’s football seasons run from August to May and each team plays a total of 38 games. Over the years, a total of 40 football clubs have participated in The Premier League. However, of the 40 teams that have competed in The Premier League, only 4 have won the UK Premiership title – those teams include Manchester United, Blackburn Rovers, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The current football champion is Manchester United who holds the record of winning the most Premiership titles – Manchester United boasts a total of 10 UK Premiership titles. The Premier League is structured as a corporation with the 20 participating football clubs holding interest in the league. Each participating club in The Premiership is treated as a shareholder and is entitled to one vote on the issues such as contracts and rule changes. The chairman, chief executive, and board of directors oversee daily operations of The Premier League are elected by the shareholders. Though the Football Association is not involved directly in the daily operations, it is treated a special shareholder and holds the power of veto during the election of the chief executive and chairman whenever new rules are put in place by the league. The UK Premiership is wildly popular throughout the world and owes much of its success to media coverage of football sporting events. The decision in 1992 to assign broadcasting rights to BSkyB has paid off enormously. Over a half a billion people follow the league and it is particularly popular in Asia, where it is the most widely promoted sports program. With growth and statistics like these, it seems The Premier League has stumbled upon a golden formula. As long as they continue to refine and improve it, The Premiership should continue to bask in success for years to come.
About the Author
Visit us to get more info on Uk Live Football Results, Live Football and premiership match reports.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
World Cup 2010 : New Horizons for African Football
By: Peter Beckham
Early reports show that even at this early stage, South Africans are more than eager to formally welcome and host the FIFA World Cup 2010. After losing the 2006 bid to Germany, the date of May 15, 2004 marked history when it was announced that it is time for South Africa to be the first ever African country to hold the much revered World Cup series and to be the 16th country to do such. There will be two main stadiums in Johannesburg to be used for the event. Built in 1987, Soccer City is the venue for the first game. The stadium has a capacity of 94,700 people and is large and majestic enough to act as the springboard for the exciting tournament. Currently, renovations are under way to make sure the stadium is at the best it can be by 2010. Being constructed is an encircling roof while being developed are new changing room facilities and floodlights. The upper tier will also be extended around the stadium. Another main stadium to be used for the 2010 World Cup is Ellis Park, just a few minutes away from Johannesburg City Center. Built in 1982, Ellis Park is a world class, integrated stadium that offers only state of the art features, facilities and security. The stadium is also being improved to be ready by 2010. Among the current developments under way is the construction of new upper tiers to increase the capacity of 10,149 seats to 60,000. It must be said that the entrustment of the FIFA World Cup 2010 to South Africa couldn’t have had a more perfect timing, happening in a period where African football is steadily rising in both quantity and quality, especially considering its difficult beginnings. In the early days, football in South Africa has been affected by a harsh system of racial segregation. South Africa’s constitution prohibited racially mixed teams to compete in global tournaments and could only send either all-black or all-white teams. Meanwhile, the history of football in Africa as a whole has been a deep story that doesn’t involve games alone but a lot of magic, racism, money, and complexity. Football games were not just mere games but also reflected such uneven poverty in Africa through money in the form of income to players. Everything was highly monetized and the system was frowned at by European countries. Nevertheless, the complex system of African football continued to push on and the overall style was often characterized by a showy, individualistic kind of game instead of a team effort. The recent years showed much evolution in African football, along with the rise and global recognition of African football players like Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Pienaar is a South African midfielder of the Bafana Bafana (South African Soccer Team) who moved to Germany and the Borussia Dortmund team in 2006. Meanwhile, Mokoena is the captain of Bafana Bafana and was the youngest player ever to play for the team. One thing’s for sure: regardless of the outcome, the FIFA World Cup 2010 would truly mark another history for the long evolution of football in Africa.
About the Author
Visit http://www.football2010live.com and http://www.football2010online.com for more info.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
Early reports show that even at this early stage, South Africans are more than eager to formally welcome and host the FIFA World Cup 2010. After losing the 2006 bid to Germany, the date of May 15, 2004 marked history when it was announced that it is time for South Africa to be the first ever African country to hold the much revered World Cup series and to be the 16th country to do such. There will be two main stadiums in Johannesburg to be used for the event. Built in 1987, Soccer City is the venue for the first game. The stadium has a capacity of 94,700 people and is large and majestic enough to act as the springboard for the exciting tournament. Currently, renovations are under way to make sure the stadium is at the best it can be by 2010. Being constructed is an encircling roof while being developed are new changing room facilities and floodlights. The upper tier will also be extended around the stadium. Another main stadium to be used for the 2010 World Cup is Ellis Park, just a few minutes away from Johannesburg City Center. Built in 1982, Ellis Park is a world class, integrated stadium that offers only state of the art features, facilities and security. The stadium is also being improved to be ready by 2010. Among the current developments under way is the construction of new upper tiers to increase the capacity of 10,149 seats to 60,000. It must be said that the entrustment of the FIFA World Cup 2010 to South Africa couldn’t have had a more perfect timing, happening in a period where African football is steadily rising in both quantity and quality, especially considering its difficult beginnings. In the early days, football in South Africa has been affected by a harsh system of racial segregation. South Africa’s constitution prohibited racially mixed teams to compete in global tournaments and could only send either all-black or all-white teams. Meanwhile, the history of football in Africa as a whole has been a deep story that doesn’t involve games alone but a lot of magic, racism, money, and complexity. Football games were not just mere games but also reflected such uneven poverty in Africa through money in the form of income to players. Everything was highly monetized and the system was frowned at by European countries. Nevertheless, the complex system of African football continued to push on and the overall style was often characterized by a showy, individualistic kind of game instead of a team effort. The recent years showed much evolution in African football, along with the rise and global recognition of African football players like Steven Pienaar and Aaron Mokoena. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, Pienaar is a South African midfielder of the Bafana Bafana (South African Soccer Team) who moved to Germany and the Borussia Dortmund team in 2006. Meanwhile, Mokoena is the captain of Bafana Bafana and was the youngest player ever to play for the team. One thing’s for sure: regardless of the outcome, the FIFA World Cup 2010 would truly mark another history for the long evolution of football in Africa.
About the Author
Visit http://www.football2010live.com and http://www.football2010online.com for more info.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
Football and its fans
By: Marcia Henin
Football has always comprised strong emotional reactions. Thousands of football fans watch with growing enthusiasm the on-going process of game, fully involved in a battle presented in front of them on a football field. This enjoyment of public games, presented in front of the viewers, goes back to the ancient games of the Chinese, which originally included kicking leather balls and win highest Football scores. Today, football is the most known sports game, attracting millions of viewers, which leads to the creation of thousands fan clubs around the world. As the game proceeds, the excitement grows and sometimes becomes difficult to control. The excitement and enthusiasm is heated by the fact that no one knows how the game will end. The viewers make different bets, sometimes on large sums of money, and watch impatiently as the game proceeds, listening to updates in the Football coverage, hoping to hear that they won. Fans of different football groups are tracking the players’ movements and criticize or praise their moves. The atmosphere becomes tenser towards the end of the game, when every second counts. Emotional involvement in the game often brings to rivals between fans. At the mass brawl in May 2007, up to hundred Liverpool fans fought each other in Athens, hoping to get a single Champions League ticket. As a result, two supporters were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. The police didn’t succeed in putting an end to the riots. History of football remembers many similar cases with even worse injuries, sometimes even resulting in deaths of the excited football fans. Football news has always maintained a foothold in the enthusiasm of fans around the world. Important competitions, like Champions League, attract audience all over the world, enjoy publicity and media attention. However, the importance of controlling the public’ emotional reactions has become an everyday issue next to the success of specific football groups. It is important to raise awareness of the violence among football fans, in order to minimize the problem and simply enjoy good football games.
About the Author
Marcia Henin, content writer for Inter-dev - Internet marketing company, On Behalf of sportingo.com - A sports news site, provider of Football coverage and Football news.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
Football has always comprised strong emotional reactions. Thousands of football fans watch with growing enthusiasm the on-going process of game, fully involved in a battle presented in front of them on a football field. This enjoyment of public games, presented in front of the viewers, goes back to the ancient games of the Chinese, which originally included kicking leather balls and win highest Football scores. Today, football is the most known sports game, attracting millions of viewers, which leads to the creation of thousands fan clubs around the world. As the game proceeds, the excitement grows and sometimes becomes difficult to control. The excitement and enthusiasm is heated by the fact that no one knows how the game will end. The viewers make different bets, sometimes on large sums of money, and watch impatiently as the game proceeds, listening to updates in the Football coverage, hoping to hear that they won. Fans of different football groups are tracking the players’ movements and criticize or praise their moves. The atmosphere becomes tenser towards the end of the game, when every second counts. Emotional involvement in the game often brings to rivals between fans. At the mass brawl in May 2007, up to hundred Liverpool fans fought each other in Athens, hoping to get a single Champions League ticket. As a result, two supporters were injured and taken to a nearby hospital. The police didn’t succeed in putting an end to the riots. History of football remembers many similar cases with even worse injuries, sometimes even resulting in deaths of the excited football fans. Football news has always maintained a foothold in the enthusiasm of fans around the world. Important competitions, like Champions League, attract audience all over the world, enjoy publicity and media attention. However, the importance of controlling the public’ emotional reactions has become an everyday issue next to the success of specific football groups. It is important to raise awareness of the violence among football fans, in order to minimize the problem and simply enjoy good football games.
About the Author
Marcia Henin, content writer for Inter-dev - Internet marketing company, On Behalf of sportingo.com - A sports news site, provider of Football coverage and Football news.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
Live Premiership Football
By: Craig Harris
An opportunity to watch live football on your PC delivers a live action which is packed with excitement. This is something more than what a mere spectator anticipates. It makes you feel as if you are part of the football action. Catching the football match live on a PC is completely enthusiastic and fun making as every viewer can indulgently participate with the latest happening to support a football team in full force. If you are a football fanatic, then there’s no better way of entertaining oneself than watching your favorite team play right in front of you through your PC monitor. Live football on your PC offers a viewer with complete updated results of the present events and happenings in the football industry. The thrill to watch live football on a digital interface is totally a different experience than just watching it on TV. The picture, audio, and the quality of reception are more fascinating and refined when watched. There are different ways to watch live football online. It is possible to catch the action on pc with the signals being filtered by means of the dish Antennae passing through the cable attached to the USB port of the computer station that provides uninterrupted signal. There are also services that offer satellite TV directly to your computer. However, a user should be cautious when choosing a provider. This is because there are some services that will try to rip money out from you and run afterwards. Choosing a service should include the company’s ability to offer good technical support with necessary software needed for the service to work. Just ensure that all the software is incorporated in a onetime payment fee. In addition to this, a laptop or a desktop computer is all you need to watch live premiership football. Watching a live via satellite game online directly on your pc would usually require subscription to a satellite TV provider, yet there is one way of doing it the easy way. This kind of method requires downloading software as an access to a lot of channels made available online. Installing this kind of software to your personal computer will give every football aficionado access to both local and international football channels. The PC TV receiver software has the capability to stream live satellite TV channels straight to your PC. One of the best things about PC TV receiver software is that it is relatively easy on the pocket with its one-time payment terms. This also comes with a no monthly subscription fee and no pay per view charges; most of all, there are no obligation and hidden charges. This kind of software usually serves more than 800 channels in different countries and languages. Given all of these requirements, the next thing to consider is a computer and broadband connection. Visiting our website will definitely give you a viewing experience that you deserve and everything you need to know about watching football games online without losing much of your finances.
About the Author
Live Football TV is a dedicated online football channel. It aims to provide the latest and up to date information about major football tournaments and live football actions online.Watch Live Football on Live Football TV and experience a whole new action packed game.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
An opportunity to watch live football on your PC delivers a live action which is packed with excitement. This is something more than what a mere spectator anticipates. It makes you feel as if you are part of the football action. Catching the football match live on a PC is completely enthusiastic and fun making as every viewer can indulgently participate with the latest happening to support a football team in full force. If you are a football fanatic, then there’s no better way of entertaining oneself than watching your favorite team play right in front of you through your PC monitor. Live football on your PC offers a viewer with complete updated results of the present events and happenings in the football industry. The thrill to watch live football on a digital interface is totally a different experience than just watching it on TV. The picture, audio, and the quality of reception are more fascinating and refined when watched. There are different ways to watch live football online. It is possible to catch the action on pc with the signals being filtered by means of the dish Antennae passing through the cable attached to the USB port of the computer station that provides uninterrupted signal. There are also services that offer satellite TV directly to your computer. However, a user should be cautious when choosing a provider. This is because there are some services that will try to rip money out from you and run afterwards. Choosing a service should include the company’s ability to offer good technical support with necessary software needed for the service to work. Just ensure that all the software is incorporated in a onetime payment fee. In addition to this, a laptop or a desktop computer is all you need to watch live premiership football. Watching a live via satellite game online directly on your pc would usually require subscription to a satellite TV provider, yet there is one way of doing it the easy way. This kind of method requires downloading software as an access to a lot of channels made available online. Installing this kind of software to your personal computer will give every football aficionado access to both local and international football channels. The PC TV receiver software has the capability to stream live satellite TV channels straight to your PC. One of the best things about PC TV receiver software is that it is relatively easy on the pocket with its one-time payment terms. This also comes with a no monthly subscription fee and no pay per view charges; most of all, there are no obligation and hidden charges. This kind of software usually serves more than 800 channels in different countries and languages. Given all of these requirements, the next thing to consider is a computer and broadband connection. Visiting our website will definitely give you a viewing experience that you deserve and everything you need to know about watching football games online without losing much of your finances.
About the Author
Live Football TV is a dedicated online football channel. It aims to provide the latest and up to date information about major football tournaments and live football actions online.Watch Live Football on Live Football TV and experience a whole new action packed game.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
The History Of Football Or Footy
By: Daniel Millions
While association football is occasionally referred to as soccer in some parts of the world, one thing about the game that can be agreed on is that it is arguably the most popular sport in the world. Most cultures have produced some sort of ball kicking game so there were a few precursors to the game developed into football. Most scholars believe that the Roman game of harpastum was a very early form of what became football on the British Isles. The game evolved through the Middle Ages with various regions having different rules and guidelines. It was inevitable that this collective love of sport would eventually merge. The true birth of the game we play today came in 1848 with the Cambridge Rules developed by Trinity College. While representatives of six major schools worked on this, the Cambridge Rules were not universally accepted. Too many people liked football and wanted to play themselves and they considered this set of regulations to be too "school-boyish" for the average amateur player. In the years that followed the Cambridge codification, many football clubs sprang up across the land that had nothing to do with "university" football. These non-professional clubs tended to play their own games and adhere to their own rules. However, the school chaps preferred a more consistent game and a number of former student players developed the Sheffield Football Club in order to bring some order to the game. By 1863 the growing spread of diverse forms of football required another gathering of major influences. Meeting in London, they once more attempted to keep the game from fragmenting any further. This group not completely successful even at that. The Blackheath, London football club withdrew from the proceedings over the removal of the rules allowing the use of hands on the ball. They eventually developed their own game that became what is now known as Rugby. However, the remaining eleven clubs finally codified an acceptable series of rules and with them formed the Football Association (FA). By 1870 the Sheffield Football Association had joined in and football was once again a similar and familiar game for everyone. The mid 1800's saw such an explosion of football popularity that one country alone could not contain it all. 1886 saw the formation of the International Football Association Board comprising the national associations from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Still football spread. The twentieth century had barely begun when the Fedration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris was started in 1904 and declared they would uphold the rules and regulations of the FA. Football is now played professionally in just about every country in the world. As well as the millions that make it to the stadium to watch the game, there are billions who make sure to have a television at hand on game day to watch their favorite teams compete. FIFA surveys have concluded that at least two hundred fifty million people regularly play amateur football. With just a few easy to understand rules and simple basic pieces of equipment, football has made it easy for almost everyone to indulge their passion for a game of "footy" on the playing field. Even the amateur leagues maintain a championship level of commitment to the game and a universal appeal that can transcend the boundaries of both language and nationality.
About the Author
Watch Live Football or Premiership football on your PC.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
While association football is occasionally referred to as soccer in some parts of the world, one thing about the game that can be agreed on is that it is arguably the most popular sport in the world. Most cultures have produced some sort of ball kicking game so there were a few precursors to the game developed into football. Most scholars believe that the Roman game of harpastum was a very early form of what became football on the British Isles. The game evolved through the Middle Ages with various regions having different rules and guidelines. It was inevitable that this collective love of sport would eventually merge. The true birth of the game we play today came in 1848 with the Cambridge Rules developed by Trinity College. While representatives of six major schools worked on this, the Cambridge Rules were not universally accepted. Too many people liked football and wanted to play themselves and they considered this set of regulations to be too "school-boyish" for the average amateur player. In the years that followed the Cambridge codification, many football clubs sprang up across the land that had nothing to do with "university" football. These non-professional clubs tended to play their own games and adhere to their own rules. However, the school chaps preferred a more consistent game and a number of former student players developed the Sheffield Football Club in order to bring some order to the game. By 1863 the growing spread of diverse forms of football required another gathering of major influences. Meeting in London, they once more attempted to keep the game from fragmenting any further. This group not completely successful even at that. The Blackheath, London football club withdrew from the proceedings over the removal of the rules allowing the use of hands on the ball. They eventually developed their own game that became what is now known as Rugby. However, the remaining eleven clubs finally codified an acceptable series of rules and with them formed the Football Association (FA). By 1870 the Sheffield Football Association had joined in and football was once again a similar and familiar game for everyone. The mid 1800's saw such an explosion of football popularity that one country alone could not contain it all. 1886 saw the formation of the International Football Association Board comprising the national associations from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Still football spread. The twentieth century had barely begun when the Fedration Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) in Paris was started in 1904 and declared they would uphold the rules and regulations of the FA. Football is now played professionally in just about every country in the world. As well as the millions that make it to the stadium to watch the game, there are billions who make sure to have a television at hand on game day to watch their favorite teams compete. FIFA surveys have concluded that at least two hundred fifty million people regularly play amateur football. With just a few easy to understand rules and simple basic pieces of equipment, football has made it easy for almost everyone to indulge their passion for a game of "footy" on the playing field. Even the amateur leagues maintain a championship level of commitment to the game and a universal appeal that can transcend the boundaries of both language and nationality.
About the Author
Watch Live Football or Premiership football on your PC.
Article Directory: http://www.articlerich.com
Euro 2008 Football Tournament Review
By: Daniel Millions
This summer's European Football Championships held in Switzerland and Austria has been hailed as a massive success. The vast majority of games were full of excitement and goals and there were very few unsavory incidents. Many supporters and experts have expressed their belief that the tournament was one of the best ever. The eventual winners were Spain who were regarded as the best team not only by virtue of the winning score line but also they were the team that played the best football, scored the most goals and conceded the least. This year's European Championships was the thirteenth time it has been held since its inauguration in 1960. The tournament format was based on four groups with four teams in each. They played off against each other once and the top two teams qualified for the quarter finals. The group stage of Euro 2008 provided a fantastic display of open attacking football. The opening game of the 2008 tournament was played out between co-hosts Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Swiss had high hopes that they could impress but it looked like the pressure of expectation lay heavy as they struggled. They suffered a huge blow by losing star striker Alexander Frei during the game before losing 1-0. In Group A, Portugal eased to victories over the Czech Republic and Switzerland to become the first team to qualify. In a dramatic final game between Turkey and the Czech Republic, the former emerged victorious after coming back from two goals down to score three in the last 15 minutes of the game. In Group B, pre-tournament favorites Germany beat Poland before surprisingly losing to Croatia in the second game. They eventually qualified in the last game but failed to impress in a narrow win over co-hosts Austria, who were also eliminated in the same game. Group C was seen as the tightest group with Holland, France and the World Cup winners Italy battling with Romania. However the Dutch seemed to be one of the most impressive teams in the tournament after comfortably beating Italy 3-0 and France 4-1. With Holland comfortably through, Italy and France met each other to decide the final qualification. In a tense game the Italians proved to be more resilient as they won 2-0. In Group D Spain and Russia demonstrated some of the best attacking football in the whole tournament. The Spanish with their quick one touch football and the clinical shooting of Fernando Torres and David Villa easily qualified with victories over Russia, Greece and Sweden. The Russians followed with an impressive victory in the last game against the Swedes. The quarter finals are typically the point when the best raise their game. This is often the case with Germany. Having struggled to qualify from the group stage, they impressed by defeat a good Portuguese team and became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. They were joined there by Turkey who in a dramatic finale managed to level the game against Croatia in the last minute before defeating them in a penalty shoot-out. Holland failed to continue their earlier impressive performances by losing to Russia and Spain managed to defeat Italy on penalties after a tense game. The semi-finals provided fantastic entertainment. Turkey once more demonstrated their tenacity, but ultimately were unable to restrain Germany who progressed to the Final 3-2. Spain eased through after defeating Russia for the second time in tournament. The Euro 2008 Final was played on 30 June. Spain won 1-0 with a goal from Fernando Torres and subsequently won the tournament for the first time since 1964.
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This summer's European Football Championships held in Switzerland and Austria has been hailed as a massive success. The vast majority of games were full of excitement and goals and there were very few unsavory incidents. Many supporters and experts have expressed their belief that the tournament was one of the best ever. The eventual winners were Spain who were regarded as the best team not only by virtue of the winning score line but also they were the team that played the best football, scored the most goals and conceded the least. This year's European Championships was the thirteenth time it has been held since its inauguration in 1960. The tournament format was based on four groups with four teams in each. They played off against each other once and the top two teams qualified for the quarter finals. The group stage of Euro 2008 provided a fantastic display of open attacking football. The opening game of the 2008 tournament was played out between co-hosts Switzerland and the Czech Republic. The Swiss had high hopes that they could impress but it looked like the pressure of expectation lay heavy as they struggled. They suffered a huge blow by losing star striker Alexander Frei during the game before losing 1-0. In Group A, Portugal eased to victories over the Czech Republic and Switzerland to become the first team to qualify. In a dramatic final game between Turkey and the Czech Republic, the former emerged victorious after coming back from two goals down to score three in the last 15 minutes of the game. In Group B, pre-tournament favorites Germany beat Poland before surprisingly losing to Croatia in the second game. They eventually qualified in the last game but failed to impress in a narrow win over co-hosts Austria, who were also eliminated in the same game. Group C was seen as the tightest group with Holland, France and the World Cup winners Italy battling with Romania. However the Dutch seemed to be one of the most impressive teams in the tournament after comfortably beating Italy 3-0 and France 4-1. With Holland comfortably through, Italy and France met each other to decide the final qualification. In a tense game the Italians proved to be more resilient as they won 2-0. In Group D Spain and Russia demonstrated some of the best attacking football in the whole tournament. The Spanish with their quick one touch football and the clinical shooting of Fernando Torres and David Villa easily qualified with victories over Russia, Greece and Sweden. The Russians followed with an impressive victory in the last game against the Swedes. The quarter finals are typically the point when the best raise their game. This is often the case with Germany. Having struggled to qualify from the group stage, they impressed by defeat a good Portuguese team and became the first team to qualify for the semi-finals. They were joined there by Turkey who in a dramatic finale managed to level the game against Croatia in the last minute before defeating them in a penalty shoot-out. Holland failed to continue their earlier impressive performances by losing to Russia and Spain managed to defeat Italy on penalties after a tense game. The semi-finals provided fantastic entertainment. Turkey once more demonstrated their tenacity, but ultimately were unable to restrain Germany who progressed to the Final 3-2. Spain eased through after defeating Russia for the second time in tournament. The Euro 2008 Final was played on 30 June. Spain won 1-0 with a goal from Fernando Torres and subsequently won the tournament for the first time since 1964.
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