Opinion: Where is the problem?
September 19, 2014
The bad news for German football fans is that they won't be playing host to the final or the semifinals of the European Championships here in Germany. But the good news is: because the German Football Association pulled out of the race to host the finals of the 2020 tournament, it's becoming more and more likely that four years later the entire competition will take place in Germany. The English have said they will support Germany's bid to host EURO 2024.
We'll give you this, but in return we get the following from you: the agreement between the German and English football associations is not uncommon when it comes to awarding major sports events. When it is being decided who will host the next football World Cup or the Olympics, these agreements are commonplace in fact. And it's the same story with other, smaller sports events too.
Germany profited from this sort of an agreement just a few years ago actually. When it was being decided where the 2011 Women's World Cup should take place, Germany's football association made an agreement with France and Australia. The Germans were eventually awarded the tournament and, in return, voted for France hosting EURO 2016. Australia also got Germany's support for the World Cup heading Down Under in 2022.
The way that the sports world is behaving here is similar to the way voting takes place in the German parliament, the Bundestag, or when a new German president is chosen. It's normal human behavior. My two sons also behave in the same way when they are playing with cars in the lounge: "If you get to have the fire engine, then I get to have the truck."
Where's the problem here? As long as no one is put under pressure during the agreement process and there are no bribes or similar criminal activity, then everything is fine.
We should be happy. The German team now has the chance to lift the European Championship trophy in the same stadium, 28 years after their last big win at Wembley. Then, four years later, they will be the defending champs in front of a home crowd. Sounds perfect!