Euro 2016 is here to distract one final time before Europe and the world go back to turmoil

The talk in the queue to clear security before getting into the media centre was less than joyous. It was a hot day in Paris, with bright sunshine and the temperature hitting the mid-thirties. It was the end of a long Euro 2016, with many journalists on the go for well over a month. So some of the griping was understandable. “Looking forward to going home,” one asked. “oh yes,” came the reply without a moment’s hesitation. It has been that sort of an event. The tournament has come a long way since the inaugural, four-nation event that the USSR won back in 1960. The present format, with 24 nations playing the finals, is a result of a combination of factors. The standard of football, at club level, across Europe has improved dramatically. While traditional football centres have remained strong, they have been fed with talent from a much more diverse and cosmopolitan Europe. The results are evident from a cursory examination of the ethnic roots of many of the national teams at Euro 2016. It is also evident from so many of the results that talent is widely distributed and there is no single dominant force. It is, in many ways, the most inclusive of tournaments. But that positivity has to be balanced with the toll such a tournament takes on a set of individuals already carrying a massive chunk of the burden of keeping the football juggernaut rolling. [caption id=“attachment_2885540” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Euro 2016, at best, has been a distraction from the turmoil in Europe and the world. AFP[/caption] We are at an odd crossroads. On one hand we have this new diversity on the football pitch and an overwhelming sense of camaraderie and bonding between different sets of fans off it. On the other we had Brexit, followed by a wave of similarly jingoistic noises from other parts of Europe. There have been terror attacks from Timbuktu to Miami, Baghdad, Istanbul, Kashmir, Bangladesh… the list is alarming. Wikipedia lists 218 terror incidents in June 2016. Before the Italy-Germany quarterfinal, those who were killed in a Dhaka bakery were remembered by fans and players. Two days later a bombing in Baghdad killed almost 300 more. Couple days later, five policemen were killed in Dallas and between 40-100 in a suicide bombing in Balad, Iraq. The latter went largely unreported. In France there have been internal debates. Labour protests continue across the country and grow in strength as the temperature rises. In the heat of Marseillie, union leaders know they have the upper hand in negotiations when the garbage starts to rot in the streets overnight. The protestors are demanding job security and protection while the government wants to deregulate labour. Even at the protests, the dichotomies are clearly visible. Those marching are either students or, predominantly white, government employees. Those who are making a quick buck selling them beverages and kabab sandwiches, are mostly brown and used to fighting for their share of the pie in different ways. Paris, in particular, has taken its time warming up to the tournament. As one of the most visited cities in the world, the Euro was a minor addition to what is already a busy schedule. Those not involved in the industry have made their way to the country, enjoying time away from it all. One observer told me, “You were here when Parisians feel a part of Europe, and so maybe you find things are different. If France were out and when the tournament is over, it will feel different.” At the middle of all of this, for the moment, are the players. The most easy assessment of the competition is that it has not been exceptional from a footballing standpoint. We have had so many different things to talk about over the past month that even being able to comment on football without considering the environment in which it is happening, has seemed absurd. Yet, standing to the national anthem of every nation, feeling the surge of human emotion that is palpable inside the stadium, being elevated with the hopes of tiny nations such as Wales and Iceland, has given us an insight into the value of these national colours and jersey, even if only symbolic. Before the final, French coach Didier Deschamps, who has had a series of complicated football questions to ponder over, acknowledged the bigger picture. “We don’t have the power to solve the French people’s problems but we can ease their worries,” he said. “The players are well aware of that power, and what they can give to the French people by wearing these colours.” But the colours are not a shield and the jersey is not a bulletproof vest. At the end of a long season, with the part of their jobs that feeds their families done, the players have seemed mildly distracted. Who can blame them? Between Brexit and a constant state of security alert, who can blame a player for lacking the Jedi knight ability to detach and focus mind and body on winning another football match? Then another, and another. Teams such as Germany in the semifinals, and Italy before them, simply lost steam and the will to go on. It is no surprise, given all of these factors, that the teams who achieved the most are those who were not expected to go nearly as far, one that no one rated (and most still don’t) and France. Wales and Iceland were making history with every win. They were riding a wave of adrenaline unsurpassed in their footballing histories. For the big European nations, there was too much else going on to worry about the football. Fortunately, France rode their luck, and played well when they had to. If Les Bleus had fallen, Paris might not even have noticed the final tonight. But now that we are here, just hours from the final, with all the hard work done and the tournament wrapped up, it is time for one little dalliance with danger. Even though it is the biggest game of the tournament the players will feel unfettered at the Stade de France this evening. Portugal have done better than anyone expected and for them it will now be about individual desire. For France, there is now confidence, massive home support and all the contenders for player of the tournament. Deschamps finally has a formation he can work with, and the players have a sense of belief. The result of this evening’s contest is almost foregone. But before we get there I do anticipate a rare spectacle. It may or may not be once for the ages, but it is inconceivable now that we will not have a final that will give us plenty to talk about. So that for at least one more day we can stick to the football, before getting back to massive, churning world outside.