(English UEFA European Championship) is the main competition of national teams held under the auspices of UEFA. The competition has been held every 4 years since 1960.
For the first time, the idea of holding a tournament for European national teams was put forward by the former secretary general of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay, at one of the meetings of the International Football Federation (FIFA). But the idea did not find support due to the presence of problems in organizing the world championships and the absence of a European regional federation.
The turning point in the history of the creation of the European Championship took place on May 27, 1952. At a meeting in Zurich, the heads of the football federations of France, Italy and Belgium discussed the creation of the European Football Union. A year later, in Paris, at a meeting of 20 representatives of football federations, a committee was formed to prepare the founding conference of the European Football Union, which took place on June 15, 1954 in Basel. It was attended by representatives of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Hungary, East Germany, Denmark, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Northern Ireland, USSR, Finland, France, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, Sweden and Yugoslavia. This council decided to create the European Union of Football Associations (UEFA). Ebbe Schwarz, chairman of the Danish Football Union, became the first president of UEFA.
At a meeting of the UEFA Executive Committee on March 27, 1957 in Cologne, a project was put forward called the "European Cup of Nations". On June 6, 1958, the draw for the first round of the Cup took place in the Travelers Club hall of the Forest Hotel in Stockholm.
In 2016, the European Championship, which will be played from June 10 to July 10, will be held in France for a record third time. Before that, only Belgium and Italy hosted the final stage of the European championship more than once. The fifteenth European Championship will be the first tournament in which 24 national teams will play in the final stage. 53 teams will play in the qualifying stage. The matches of the final stage of Euro 2016 will be held at 10 stadiums: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne and Toulouse.
Tournament format
The qualifying round starts after the end of the World Championship and lasts two years until the final part of the European Championship. Groups are drawn by the UEFA committee using the seeding of the teams. Seeding is done on the basis of the qualifying round for the World Championships and the previous European Championships.
53 teams will play in Euro 2016 qualification, which is a tournament record. They will be split into groups of five or six teams, which will play home and away matches against each other. Nine group winners, nine runners-up and the best third-place winner will advance directly to the finals. Eight other third-place winners will decide the fate of the remaining four tickets in the play-offs.
The participants in the final tournament will be divided into groups of four teams; six winners, six runners-up teams and four best teams who became the third.
Cup
The main symbol of the European Championship is the Henri Delaunay Cup. The original Cup was created in 1960 by Arthu Bertrand and is named after the former President of the French Football Federation, Henri Delaunay, who has served as UEFA's first secretary general since the union's inception. The goblet was a stylized silver amphora with a bas-relief depicting a young man playing with a ball.
A new cup was created for the 2008 European Championship. Pierre Delaunay, son of Henri Delaunay, was responsible for the creation of the new prize. The weight of the cup is eight kilograms and its height is 60 centimeters. It is 18 centimeters taller and two kilograms heavier than the original.
The trophy is almost identical to the original Henri Delaunay Cup, but there are a number of differences. For example, the silver base has changed to become larger to make the cup more stable. The names of the winners of the European Championships, which were previously inscribed on the pedestal, are now on back side trophy. The original was made by Chobillon goldsmith and later bought by Jan Arthus-Bertrand in Paris, and the new cup was made by Asprey London.
The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources
The European Football Championship (until 1968 it was called the European Nations Cup) is main tournament among the national teams of the old world, which has been held under the auspices of UEFA since 1960. The competition was founded by Henri Delaunay, and the USSR national team became the first European champion.
European Football Championship: Path of the winners
Like the World Championship, the European Championship is held every 4 years. Throughout its history, the rules of the final part of the tournament have changed several times. To a greater extent, this concerned the number of participating teams. UEFA is trying to make the competition more interesting and popular, and at the last European Championship in 2016, the organization decided to increase the number of teams to 24 teams.
To get to the finals of the tournament, the European teams qualify. The choice of the country in which the cup will take place is determined by drawing lots. In 2000, 2008 and 2012, the championship was hosted by two countries, but then there were only 16 participating teams.
The last European Championship was held in France, and in 2020 the tournament is planned to be held in 13 European countries, since in 2020 the championship will celebrate its 60th anniversary.
All European football champions by year
1960 - USSR
1964 - Spain
1968 - Italy
1972 - Germany
1976 - Czechoslovakia
1980 - Germany
1984 - France
1988 - Netherlands
1992 - Denmark
1996 - Germany
2000 - France
2004 - Greece
2008 - Spain
2012 - Spain
2016 - Portugal
The greatest number of times the title of European champions was won by Germany and Spain (3 times each). In addition, the “red fury” managed to become the first national team in history to win the tournament twice in a row (in 2008 and 2012).
On the occasion of the 95th anniversary of the oldest Russian insurer - the title sponsor of ROSGOSSTRAKH of the Russian Football Championship - a well-known journalist Leonid Parfyonov in its unique manner talks about memorable event 1960: the victory of the USSR national team at the European Football Championship. More details about this famous success - in the material from the heading "95 years with football, 95 years with the country." The main title in history domestic football was won in 1960. It was the first ever football championship Europe. If the world championships have been held since 1930, then the tournament of the European teams had to wait another 30 years.
How the Euro was born
The Union of European Football Associations, aka UEFA (Union of European Football Associations), was founded in 1954. Three years later, at the congress, it was decided to hold a tournament among the best European teams. However, 13 out of 30 UEFA members refused to participate in the European Championship. Among them were Germany, England, Italy and other famous teams.
The refusal was explained by the heavy burden on the players during club competitions. As a result, only 17 teams took part in the selection for the first Euro. To leave 16 teams, the Czechoslovakians and the Irish had to identify the strongest in the preliminary round. This turned out to be a team from Czechoslovakia.
How was the selection for Euro 1960
A full-fledged qualifying tournament has already begun with 16 teams. It is noteworthy that the host of the French competition was not guaranteed a place at the Euro - the team participated in the selection on an equal basis with everyone else. 16 teams split into pairs and played one match at home and away. After that, 8 teams remained, which were again divided into pairs: France - Austria, USSR - Spain, Portugal - Yugoslavia, Romania - Czechoslovakia.
However, one of these quarterfinals was not destined to take place. The Spaniards refused to go to Soviet Union... For this they were awarded defeat and a fine of CHF 31,500. The Spaniards' offer to host the match on a neutral pitch was rejected by UEFA. There are two versions of why Spain refused to play-offs from the USSR. The first version is politics. The Spaniards announced that they would not go to the "communist state". The second version is the fear of losing. The coach of the Spanish national team, Helenio Herrera, was present at Luzhniki and saw how Soviet football players defeated the Polish national team with a score of 7: 1. Soon after this game, the Spaniards refused to go to the USSR.
How the USSR national team took the first title
As a result, three teams from communist countries came to the final stage of Euro 1960 in France: Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia and the USSR. In the first semi-final, the French national team unexpectedly lost to the Yugoslavs - 4: 5, and the USSR national team confidently won over the Czechoslovakians - 3: 0. Our team excelled Victor Monday and twice Valentin Ivanov.
The final match took place on July 10 in Paris at the Parc des Princes stadium (by the way, at the upcoming Euro 2016 the final will also be held on July 10 and also at the Parc des Princes). The meeting was served by an English referee Arthur Edward Ellis... Apparently, he is less tired of club football than his fellow football players. The meeting turned out to be very persistent. Leonid Parfenov told about it in more detail in the video of the Rosgosstrakh company:
The main time ended in a draw. Galich scored for the Yugoslavs in the 43rd minute, and for us - Metreveli in the 49th. There were two more halves of 15 minutes each. And now, 7 minutes before the end of extra time, Victor Monday scored the winning goal with his head. Perhaps it was the most important goal in the history of Soviet football. The USSR national team, after two hours of play, found the strength to make a circle of honor around the stadium. The best goalkeeper tournament was recognized, of course, Lev Yashin playing in the usual cap. Then it was allowed for goalkeepers.
Midfielder Igor Netto, who participated in that final, published the book "My Football" in 1974. This is how he recalls what happened after winning Euro 1960:
“The European Football Federation hosted a gala reception in a hall high up on the Eiffel Tower. We, Soviet footballers, were awarded gold medals of the winners of the European Cup, and our rival friends, the Yugoslav footballers, were awarded silver medals. Of course, we warmly congratulated each other. Downstairs Paris was noisy, living its bustling life. He could be seen from here all at a glance, stone masses of houses, wide green avenues, sharp spiers of the Cathedral of Notre Dame with its frozen chimeras, as if guarding time ... We were unusually good. "
Years.
Trainer: Joachim Loew.
One of strongest teams in European football. The Germans (from 1945 to 1990 - the FRG national team) won four world championships (1954, 1974, 1990 and 2014), three times became the strongest in Europe (1972, 1980, 1996) and won the European championship silver medals the same number of times - in 1976, 1992 and 2008. In the final tournaments, they won 23 matches out of 43. The German national team only once failed to make it to the final stage European tournament having missed the 1968 European Championship.
The German national team took the second place in the world championship four times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002) and in four cases - the third (1934, 1970, 2006, 2010). In the entire history of the World Cup, no other team has played more matches(106) than the German national team.
At the World Championships, the German national team never ended up outside the playoffs, while the European Championship ended three times for her on group stage- in 1984 and 2004 the Germans finished third, and in 2000 they took the last place in their quartet.
Spain
European Champion 1964, 2008, 2012.
Coach: Vicente del Bosque.
The European championship was first submitted to the Spaniards in 1964. The USSR team was defeated with a score of 2: 1 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid. After that and until 2008, the best result of the Spaniards was reaching the final of the 1984 European Championship. In 2008, Germany was defeated in the final match with a score of 1: 0. At the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Spain became the first European team to win the World Cup on a foreign continent.
In the final of Euro 2012, the Spaniards defeated Italy 4-0 in Kiev (Ukraine) and also became the first to defend the European title. They failed to defend the title of world champions in 2014.
France
European Champions 1984, 2000
Coach: Didier Deschamps.
Trainer: Danny Blind.
At their debut European Championship in 1976, the Dutch won bronze, losing in the semifinals to the Yugoslavs in additional time.
The high point of the "orange" was the European Championship in 1988 in Germany. Having defeated the USSR national team in the final, the Dutch became European champions.
Since then, the Dutch national team has been a regular participant in the finals of the European Championship, in which they reached the semifinals in 1992, 2000 and 2004. In 2008, the Dutch national team lost in the quarterfinals to Russia in extra time, and did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012. In 2016, the Dutch national team did not make it to the final part of the European championship.
Trainer: Oge Hareide.
The Danish national team has a rich experience of participating in European championships. The Danes left the group at their debut final tournament in 1964, when they finished fourth, and in 1984 reached the semifinals again. Since then, the Danish national team has not played in only one continental championship - in 2008. The team's finest hour was the 1992 tournament. The triumph in Sweden was notable for the fact that the Danes got to the championship at the very last moment instead of the withdrawn Yugoslavia. In the group stage, England and France were defeated, and in the semifinals on penalties - the reigning champions of the Dutch. In the final of the championship, the Danes defeated the Germans with a score of 2: 0.
In 2004, the Danish national team reached the quarter-finals, but conceded three goals at the beginning of the second half and acknowledged the superiority of the Czech Republic. The Danes did not make it to the European Championship 2008, and they did not make it out of the group at Euro 2012, although they won over the Netherlands in the first round.
Since then, the Danes have played at the world championship three more times (1998, 2002, 2010), in France in 1998 they reached the quarterfinals.
Coach: Michael Skibbe.
The Greek national team played for the first time in the European Championship in 1980 and scored just one point in three matches. The next time the Greeks played in the final tournament 24 years later. Under the guidance of German coach Otto Rehhagel, the Greeks surpassed their wildest expectations and won gold at Euro 2004. In the rank of champions at Euro 2008, the Greeks lost all three meetings of the group stage, and at Euro 2012 they lost in the quarterfinals to the Germans.
In 2016, the Greek national team did not make it to the finals of the continental championship.
The Greeks made their way to the FIFA World Cup three times - in 1994, 2010 and 2014.
Prepared on the basis of materials from open sources
The European Football Championship has been held under the auspices of UEFA every four years since 1960. Initially, the tournament was called the European Cup of Nations (European Cup), and in 1968 the name was changed to the European Football Championship.
The history of the performances of the USSR / Russia national team in the final tournaments of the European Championships began with the very first rally in 1960. The debut European Cup ended with the victory of the USSR team. The Soviet team became the vice-champion of Europe three times - in 1964, 1972 and 1988. In 1980 and 1984, the USSR national team could not qualify for the final stage of the competition.
At the 1992 European Championship, the USSR national team played under the flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States (by that time the Soviet Union had already ceased to exist).
IN recent history the Russian national team qualified for the final part of the competition four times - in 1996, 2004, 2008 and 2012. In 2008, the Russian national team won bronze medals in the European championship.
1960 European Cup (France)
The Soviet team entered the first European Cup in the rank of champion Olympic Games Melbourne (1956). The path to victory in the tournament included uncompromising rivalry with the teams of Hungary and Czechoslovakia, a boycott of the Spanish government, and ended in a tense final match against the most principled opponent at that time - Yugoslavia.
Along the way final match the Soviet team under the leadership of Gabriel Kachalin was inferior to the Yugoslavs, but still snatched a victory in extra time with a score of 2: 1. The decisive goal seven minutes before the end was scored by 23-year-old Viktor Ponedelnik.
1964 European Cup (Spain)
On the way to the European Cup final, the USSR national team, led by Konstantin Beskov, broke the resistance of Italians, Swedes and Danes. In the final of the tournament, the USSR team met with the Spanish team. Four years earlier, the Franco government had banned the Spanish national team from playing the USSR, but this time politics gave way to football. The decisive match of the tournament, which took place at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid and attracted more than 120 thousand spectators, ended with a minimal advantage in Spain's favor (2: 1).
1968 European Championship (Italy)
The format of the competition has undergone changes, for the first time a qualifying tournament was held, according to the results of which the participants in the playoffs were determined. At the qualification stage, the USSR national team outstripped Austria, Greece and Finland and reached the quarterfinals, in which they beat Hungary. In the goalless semi-final confrontation between the Soviet team and Italy, the strongest was determined by a simple lot with the help of a coin (a penalty shootout had not yet been applied at that time). Fortune smiled at the hosts of the decisive part of the championship and did not allow the USSR national team to play in the final for the third time in a row. In the match for third place, Mikhail Yakushin's team lost to England (0: 2).
1972 European Championship (Belgium)
In the qualifying tournament, the USSR national team took first place in the group with Spain, Northern Ireland and Cyprus and reached the playoffs of the competition.
In the quarterfinals, the team of Alexander Ponomarev confidently defeated Yugoslavia, in the semifinals they defeated Hungary with a minimum score. However, in decisive match the European Championship, Soviet football players lost to the German national team with a score of 0: 3.
1976 European Championship (Yugoslavia)
IN qualifying round the USSR national team successfully opposed Ireland, Turkey and Switzerland and took first place. In the quarterfinals, Soviet footballers led by Valery Lobanovsky lost to Czechoslovakia after two meetings.
1980 European Championship (Italy)
The USSR national team, led by Konstantin Beskov, participated in the qualifying tournament together with Hungary, Greece and Finland and could not qualify
1984 European Championship (France)
Valery Lobanovsky's wards took second place in the qualifying group along with Portugal, Poland and Finland and could not qualify for the decisive stage of the competition.
1988 European Championship (FRG)
In the qualifying tournament for Euro 88 in the group with France, East Germany, Norway and Iceland, the USSR national team won first place.
In the final tournament, Lobanovsky's team confidently won the group stage, and in the semifinals did not leave the Italians a chance. In the final of the tournament, the USSR national team lost to Holland with a score of 0: 2.
1992 European Championship (Sweden)
The USSR national team, which was hosted by the victor of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Anatoly Byshovets, qualified for the final through the qualifying tournament, in which it met with the teams of Italy, Norway, Hungary and Cyprus. In the decisive stage of the competition, the team was already playing under the flag of the Commonwealth of Independent States, by that time the Soviet Union had already ceased to exist. According to the results of the group stage of the final tournament, the CIS team took fourth place, having conceded ahead of Scotland, Germany and Holland, and could not reach the playoffs.
1996 European Championship (England)
In 1996, the Russian national team took part in the continental championship for the first time in history. The rivals of our team in the group in qualifying round became the national teams of Scotland, Greece, Finland, the Faroe Islands and San Marino. During the qualifying games, our team won first place in the group.
In the final stage of the tournament, the rivals of the Russian national team were teams from Italy, Germany and the Czech Republic. After gaining only one point during the group stage of the tournament, the Russian national team, led by Oleg Romantsev, meant the end of the fight for the championship medals.
European Championship 2000 (Belgium, Netherlands)
The qualifying tournament for Euro 2000, in which our rivals were France, Ukraine, Iceland, Armenia and Andorra, was dramatic for the Russian team. After three defeats at the start of the qualification at the head coaching staff instead of Anatoly Byshovets, Oleg Romantsev stood up. Our team won six victories in a row, including on the road over the then current world champions, the French. However, for the first place in the group there was not enough home victory over Ukraine in the final match: the guests responded to Valery Karpin's goal with an accurate shot from Andriy Shevchenko.
2004 European Championship (Portugal)
In the group stage qualifying tournament of the European Championship, the teams of Switzerland, Georgia, Ireland and Albania became the rivals of the Russian national team. Before the decisive autumn games, Valery Gazzaev left the post of coach of the national team, and Georgy Yartsev replaced him. With 14 points, the Russian footballers took second place in the group. In the play-off matches, the Russian national team met with the team of Wales. The first match between the teams in Moscow ended in a goalless draw. In the second match, our players managed to achieve victory with a score of 0: 1 and got a ticket to the final part of the European Championship.
At the group stage of the final part of the tournament, the teams of Spain, Portugal and Greece became the rivals of the Russian national team. Having gained three points, Russian team took fourth place in her group and finished the fight for the championship medals.
European Championship 2008 (Austria, Switzerland)
In the group stage of the qualifying round of the European Championship, the teams of Croatia, England, Israel, Macedonia, Estonia and Andorra became the rivals of the Russian national team. The Russian team finished the qualifying round of the 2008 European Championship in 2nd place in their group, gaining 24 points.
The second place gave the Russian team, led by Dutchman Guus Hiddink, the right to directly qualify for the final part of the championship. At the group stage of the final part of the tournament, the teams of Spain, Sweden and Greece became the rivals of the Russian national team. With six points, our team finished second in the group and advanced to the playoffs of the tournament. In the quarter-finals, the Russian team defeated Holland in extra time - 3: 1. In the semifinals rivals Russian footballers became the Spaniards, the meeting ended in their favor - with a score of 3: 0. Thus, the Russian national team won the bronze medals of the European football championship.
European Championship 2012 (Ukraine, Poland)
In the group stage of the qualifying round of the European Championship, the teams of Ireland, Armenia, Slovakia, Macedonia and Andorra became the rivals of the Russian national team. With 23 points, the Russian national team took first place in the group and qualified for the final part of the championship. At the group stage of the final part of the tournament, the teams of the Czech Republic, Greece and Poland became the rivals of Dick Advocaat's team. With 4 points, the Russian national team took third place in the group and left the European championship.
Prepared on the basis of materials from open sources