Europe warms to the Icelandic passion play
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 23 – The fairytale – astonishingly, incredibly – lives on. Bring on England next for the smallest nation ever to take part in the European Championship finals.
Euro Championships
Euro 2016 wakes up to a night of spine-tingling passion, nerves and heroism
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 23 – Where on earth does one start? Ecstasy for some, gut-wrenching disappointment for others. On one of the most dramatic nights in the history of the competition with more twists and turns than a figure of eight race track, Euro 2016 found its soul on Wednesday.
French slip up over Lille pitch as UEFA order it to be re-laid…fast
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 22 – As group-stage matches reach their conclusion today at Euro 2016, the appalling state of many of the pitches continues to dominate much of the debate about the success, or otherwise, of the tournament and why there have been so few memorable matches so far.
Eastern promise shattered by Western power play at Euros
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 22 – Just when they needed to boost regional interest and their own individual reputations ahead of the 2018 World Cup, eastern European sides have been crashing out of Euro 2016 with questions being asked about how far they have fallen behind their western counterparts at international level.
Day 13 Euro previews: Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic in action with final points to prove
June 22 – Ronaldo returns to action searching for that exclusive goal on a night that could see the Portuguese burst back in to Euro contention…or fizzle out. Ibrahimovic is also on show, his final show, and will want to leave his final mark as Sweden cling on to qualification hopes.
Hungary fined €65K after fans over heat at Iceland match
June 22 – Hungary are the latest country to be sanctioned by UEFA over crowd trouble at Euro 2016 incurring a €65,000 fine following the disorder during their encounter with Iceland.
Croatia fined but confident that fan trouble is over and football can be the focus
By Andrew Warshaw
June 21 – Croatia, whose fans have brought shame on tournament after tournament, can consider themselves to have got off lightly after UEFA fined them €100,000 as a result of the ugly scenes towards the end of the 2-2 draw with the Czech Republic last Friday.
Russian rethink as Slutsky blames himself for Euro 2016 failure
By Andrew Warshaw
June 21 – Russia coach Leonid Slutsky has offered his resignation after his side’s inglorious exit from Euro 2016 at the group stage.
Deschamps tinkers as France look for formula to match winning expectations
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 21 – When he was at Chelsea, Leicester City’s Premier League-winning manager Claudio Ranieri was known as the ‘tinkerman’ for always chopping and changing his line-up. Now he has a rival in Didier Deschamps.
Day 12 Euro previews: NI vs GER; POL vs UKR; SPA vs CRO; CZE vs TUR
June 21 – Northern Irish fans have set the tournament alight with their humour but the Germans, in search of their own goal-scoring form, have a serious mission to complete.
Euro diary: Everything is on fire; something smells fishy; will it be a whitewash?
June 20 – The chant bearing his name has gone viral on social media sites yet he doesn’t necessarily even start for Northern Ireland. Wigan striker Will Grigg has become a cult hero, bursting into the iTunes top 10 thanks to ‘Will Grigg’s On Fire’, either the best or worst suppporters’ chant depending on your point of view but which has taken Euro 2016 by storm.
Hungary and Turkey make it eight UEFA federations in the Euro 2016 dock
By Samindra Kunti in Marseilles
June 19 – Euro 2016 was again scarred by crowd trouble Saturday with UEFA opening proceedings against Hungarian and Turkish federations after fans let off flares in stadiums. UEFA has now opened cases against eight of the 24 competing nations while supporters of other teams, notably England, have been caught up in public disorder in French cities.
Day 10 Euro previews: Switzerland vs France; Romania vs Albania
June 18 – Switzerland and looking to make a point against France. Albania, who have no points at their first major tournament, see their match against Romania as a matter of life or death.
Croatia split as trouble flares and fans fight in Saint-Étienne
By Andrew Warshaw
June 18 – Just when their highly impressive team was stamping its mark on the tournament and emerging as genuine dark horses, Croatia’s fans once again brought shame on the nation.
Russia angered as French crackdown with arrests and deportation
By Andrew Warshaw in Paris
June 17 – The far-right leader of the Russian supporters’ association is being deported from France following the violence at the England-Russia Euro 2016 clash in Marseille, escalating a diplomatic row between Russia and France.