Dynamo Kiev had already been crowned champions in another difficult season for football in Ukraine, but when the champions travelled to Lviv to face staunch enemies Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Classico, all hell broke loose to add a sour taste to Ukraine’s Euro 2016 preparations.
The Panenka reports on the incident and how it could derail Ukraine’s Euro 2016 chances.
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Vladimir Petkovich’s improbable journey to the top of Swiss football has included stops as a player and manager all across Europe, including a stint working at a Roman Catholic charity.
The Panenka takes a closer look at the Switzerland coach.
This time four years ago we were sat around calling one of the best teams in the history of football boring because a) they won all the time and b) were so good that it wasn’t fair. Fast forward to today and after a disastrous 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Spain’s untouchable reputation has somehow been reduced to rubble. Despite all this, the reigning champions will undoubtedly be difficult to stop and anyone who pulls La Roja out the hat in the office sweepstake will have every reason to be confident.
They are difficult times in Ukraine with political upheaval disrupting both the domestic league and the preparations of the national team. Ukraine qualified in 2012 as joint host along with Poland but has no other history in the tournament to speak of since separating from the USSR. Notable Ukrainian exports include Andriy Shevchenko but since his retirement they have been dark times for Ukrainian football both on and off the pitch in comparison to the heady Lobanovsky days.
The country that provides the headquarters for both FIFA and UEFA have never made it past the group stages. This time they are looking to make it one better after gaining a reputation as a serious football nation since the 90s. A solid back line once saw them boast one of the cleanest defensive records in world football. With the help of their more creative player spathere is definitely the potential for them to progress to the knockouts at Euro 2016.
Euro 2016 is the first time Slovakia has qualified for the tournament as an independent nation after spitting from Czechoslovakia. It was a matter of fifth time lucky for a squad that contains reputable names such as Marek Hamsik of Napoli and Martin Skrtel of Liverpool.
Despite being knocked out of the World Cup in the Quarter-final at the hands of Argentina, Belgium are still ranked number 2 in the FIFA World Rankings, yeah, go figure. Still, they are good value for having a right old stab at the European Championship as they harbor what is being heralded as their golden generation. Cynics might point to the declining form of Eden Hazard and Romelu Lukaku’s failure to score on the international stage for over 250 minutes but despite that there is still plenty for Belgium to be positive about.
The majority of the Hungary squad will know each other quite well as 9 of them all play for Videoton, the reigning Hungarian League champions who were knocked out of the Champions League in the third-round qualifying phase by BATE Borisov. As a nation on the rise in the international scene, it may still be a little too soon for The Magyars to surprise us all at the tournament in France.
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Have Italy ever been able to enter a major tournament without some sort of off-field interruption? If it’s not corruption you can bet it’s something else. This year is no different, as it has been revealed that coach Antonio Conte will be leaving his post with Italy to join Chelsea after this summer’s European Championships. Europe’s most successful nation may well sneak under the radar in many prediction polls with a strong youthful presence under their fiery coach.
In the final installment of the series The Panenka looks at the coaches of Group F containing Austria, Hungary, Iceland and Portugal. This crop of managers contains a footballing visionary who is literally writing the book for the future of football in his country.
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