Euro 2008: A Sports Event many Americans will miss
The worlds most popular sport is about to hold the summer's most entertaining sports event. Games begin on June 7th and go till June 29th. The Euro championship is held every 4 years and is off set in the middle of each World Cup. To most European countries the Euro Championship is more important than the World Cup. Winning the European Championship means they have bragging rights over all their neighboring countries. There are many rivalries that exist, and most of the battling won't take place on the field. After each game riots will ensue, the winning country will fill the streets and celebrate for days, the losing country will fill the streets in anger, burning cars, breaking anything in their path. Soccer is everything to these people, and their passion for the game feeds off the national teams. At the stadiums for each game will be riot police, because after a game hooligans from each country will definitely look to fight each other. Enough about the importance of this event, now for a look at the competition itself.
This year is it being hosted by the countries of Switzerland, and Austria. Thus both were given automatic bids into the tournament. The rest of the field breaks down as follows:
The Groups
The top two from each group will qualify for the quarter finals.
Group A
Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland.
Group B
Croatia, Austria, Germany, Poland.
Group C
Italy, France, Holland, Romania.
Group D
Greece, Sweden, Spain, Russia.
