The Spanish football team will try this Sunday to win the Euro Cup for the fourth time in its historydefeating England at the Olympic Stadium in Berlinand all of Spain is waiting. Some with enthusiasm, others, like Otegi, with some anger.
England is another top-level rival that has not really excelled at the event and is once again faced with the opportunity to break a curse that has existed for almost three decades. It all started in the German capital for the ‘Roja’ almost a month ago and everything will end, for better or worse, in the same scenario where he announced his intentions in the tournament that was played in Germany. So, Without having played a complete match, they beat Croatia 3-0 and rang for the fans’My big night’, the popular song by Raphael chosen by the organisers to celebrate their victories. And this has not stopped resounding in their next five matches, all of them ending in triumph, the last two of great merit and significance, beating the host and the powerful France in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. One last big night now involves getting rid of the English team, the fourth world champion in her career, but her career has not been so brilliant.
The The ‘Three Lions’ have reached the Euro Cup final again three years laterThey have done it with more shadows than lights, with last-gasp goals in the round of 16 and semi-finals, penalties in the quarter-finals, and after losing in all their matches, but their generation is once again in contention to lift a title, something unusual for the so-called inventors of football who will only play in Berlin for the third time.
The match excites all of Spain. Well, not all of it. Arnaldo Otegi, leader of EH Bildu already assured that it was not going with Spain in the semi-finalsl (nor with France) and now he has also wanted to mark distances. In a message in Basque on social networks he wrote: “Don’t forget, we always have our own! Our Basque Country, #NuestraEuskalSelekzioa, our flag and our flag of Navarre!”, above an ikurriña and asking for the Basque national team.
This has provoked many reactions, mainly criticism and reproach, although also some in favour.
Football will be the main focus from 9pm onwards. The Olympic Stadium in Berlin promises to be a spectacular duel where young people will have a lot to say, as both finalists can boast of having them in their ranks, with many twenty-somethings ready to fight a great battle. Lamine Yamal has not yet reached themthe sensation of the tournament and who intends to celebrate his 17th birthday in the best possible way the day before the final, and yes Nico Williams, who turned 22 on Friday.