Controversial referee decisions, internal conflicts within national teams, and condemned actions by star players have all caused uproar at past European Championships.
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| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Basile Boli's headbutt.During the match between England and France at Euro 1992, while Stuart Pearce was arguing with Jocelyn Angloma, Basile Boli suddenly appeared and headbutted the England defender in the face. Pearce was bleeding from his cheek but did not condemn Boli after the match.
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| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Gary Lineker and Graham Taylor.Also at Euro 1992, in the match between England and Sweden, star player Lineker and coach Graham Taylor had a deep disagreement. England needed a win to advance in their final group stage match against the host nation. When Sweden equalized 1-1, Taylor substituted Lineker. The Tottenham striker clearly showed his disappointment, while Taylor remained expressionless. However, Sweden won the match, and Taylor was criticized by the English press for his inexperience. |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
The Spanish national team and the referee.Home teams are often favored by referees, but England benefited excessively in their quarter-final match against Spain at Euro 1996. Julio Salinas had a goal disallowed for offside despite his legitimate movement. Then, Jose Luis Caminero was fouled in the penalty area while preparing to take a shot. Spain were ultimately eliminated on penalties. Salinas was furious, saying: "We were not only playing against 11 players and 70,000 fans, but also against three referees. It was unwinnable." |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Franco and the Soviet Union. Spain reached the semi-finals of Euro 1960 after a 7-2 victory over Poland.That year, the Spanish national team was very strong, boasting a lineup of star players and led by the great strategist Helenio Herrera. Spain faced the Soviet Union in the quarterfinals. However, General Franco refused to allow the Soviet team into Spain for political reasons. The Soviet Union was subsequently awarded the victory and secured their place in the finals of the tournament, which they later won. A sad ending for the golden generation of Spain, including Ladislao Kubala, Alfredo Di Stefano, Luis Suarez, and Francisco Gento. |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Poor Poland! Trailing Poland 1-0 in injury time of their Euro 2008 group stage match, co-hosts Austria faced the risk of elimination.However, Howard Webb awarded Austria a penalty, believing Marcin Wasilewski had pulled Sebastian Prodl's shirt inside the penalty area. Ivica Vastic successfully converted the penalty, keeping the home team's hopes alive but simultaneously eliminating Poland. Poland's coach, Leo Beenhakker, said: "I've never had a problem in my 43 years in football, but this is incomprehensible." The controversy was so intense that the Polish president intervened to defend his team, but the "White Swans" were still eliminated after a 0-1 defeat against Croatia. |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
The English harmed the English.England were surprisingly eliminated in the group stage of Euro 1980, but their performance wasn't the most memorable. During the match against Belgium, unruly fans in the stands forced Italian police to intervene, using tear gas to quell the unrest. The tear gas even got into goalkeeper Ray Clemence's eyes due to the commotion behind the England goal. The match was then delayed for five minutes and eventually ended in a 1-1 draw. However, the actions of the English fans in the stands brought shame to the country.
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| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Allegations of racism within the Dutch national team.The controversy occurred at Euro 1996. The Netherlands were one of the favorites to win the tournament but were eliminated early. A photograph of black players eating together sparked suspicions of racism within the Dutch team. However, some players, including Youri Mulder, denied the accusation. After the win against Switzerland in the group stage, Edgar Davids claimed that coach Guus Hiddink was too wary of captain Danny Blind. Ultimately, the Netherlands were eliminated by France on penalties in the quarter-finals. |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Ronald Koeman scored the equalizer for the Netherlands in their 2-1 victory over Germany in the Euro 1988 semi-final, but he was heavily criticized for his unsavory behavior after the match. The former Barcelona defender exchanged shirts with Olaf Thon and then pretended to wipe his back with one of them. Koeman's actions were considered an insult, even his father later called it a farce. However, Koeman maintained that he had no reason to apologize. Despite escaping punishment for his controversial actions and the diplomatic incident between the two countries, Koeman went on to play in the final and lift the trophy with his teammates. |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
Suspicions of match-fixing arise among the Nordic individuals.In the Euro 2004 group stage, Italy were guaranteed to advance if they beat Bulgaria in their final match. That seemed logical, unless Sweden and Denmark drew with a score greater than 1-1. Ultimately, Italy beat Bulgaria, while the two Nordic teams drew 2-2. Mattias Johnson's winning goal for Sweden came in the 89th minute. Both teams had five points, but Sweden and Denmark advanced due to a better goal difference. Bookmakers later provided data showing a suspiciously large amount of money bet on a 2-2 draw in the final minutes. Goalkeeper Buffon commented: "Someone should be ashamed, not us." |
| Heated controversies in the history of the Euro - sports photo |
France and Portugal were preparing for a penalty shootout in the Euro 2000 semi-final when Sylvain Wiltord's shot struck Abel Xavier's hand. Referee Guenter Benko initially awarded France a corner but, after consulting with his assistant, decided it was a penalty. Zidane successfully converted the penalty, sending France to the final. Meanwhile, the Portuguese players continued to surround the referee and protest vehemently. Their actions were later heavily criticized, while Xavier steadfastly maintained his innocence.According to VNE
