Spain and France, arguably the most dominant teams in the tournament, met on Friday to determine the winner of the U19 European Championship.  Going into the final, the hosts (France) had been consistently impressive- beating the Netherlands (4-1) and Austria (5-0) in their first two matches and then Croatia 2-1 in the semifinals.  Only a draw with England in the group stage blemished their winning record.  Spain, who had failed to reach the knock-out stages of this tournament since winning it in 2007, were the only team left to have a 100% winning record.

And at the start of the match, Spain looked likely to hold on to that record for the entire tournament after Rodrigo (forward, Real Madrid) scored in the 18th minute.  Spain continued to dominate the first half – accumulating the best chances and the most possession.  But despite a plethora of opportunities, Spain weren’t able to increase their lead and allowed France to go into the 2nd half with only a single goal deficit.

And in the 2nd half, France made them pay…but only after surviving several close calls as Spain continued to dominate the opening minutes of the 2nd half.

Then, after almost conceding, France was able to equalize through goalkeeper Diallo’s (GK, Rennes) long kick forward to subsitute Tafer (forward, Lyon) who lifted the ball over the Spanish keeper.  The equalizer was arguably the turning point in the match- energizing the crowd and providing France with the momentum to in the final minutes of the match.  France’s Lacazette (forward, Lyon) scored the winning goal at the 85th minute. Despite a series of impressive performances in the tournament, Lacazette had been largely invisible in the finals game and the goal seemed to come from nowhere.  But, despite Lacazette’s impressive finishing- the hard work came from Gael Kakuta (midfield, Chelsea) whose run through the center of Spain’s defense was impossible for Alex (GK, Zaragoza) to defend.

With only a few minutes left, Spain were unable to find a second goal which had eluded them since early in the first half- leaving France to lift the trophy in the end!

The only question left is if these two countries can make it three in a row when they compete next year at the FIFA U20 World Cup.  In addition to this U19 final, these two teams also played each other in the U17 European Championship two years ago (which Spain won).  The two teams have consistently been comprised of the same players- 11 of the 22 starters in the finals match played in the U17 final two years ago.  Any bets on those players making another final appearances in the U20 tournament?

Tags: beats, Championship, Chelsea, Close Calls, Diallo, Dominant Teams, Equalizer, European, Finals, France, Gael Kakuta, Gk, Group Stage, Impressive Performances, Knock Out, Lyon, Match France, Midfield, Momentum, Plethora, Possession, Real Madrid, Rodrigo, Spain, Turning Point, U19 European Championship

Austria celebrate their win over the Netherlands…and 3rd place in Group A.

Fans hoping to see a rematch of the Netherlands-Spain World Cup final played out on a younger stage will be disappointed to learn that they will have to wait at least another two years for the senior European Championships in 2012 after the Netherlands were elimated today.  Because only the top three teams in each group qualify for the U20 FIFA World Cup next year, the Dutch team’s elimination in last place in their group also rules out their participation along with Italy.   Each group’s third place participant – Austria and Portugal – will have to hope to avenge their losses next summer as their failure to qualify for the tournament’s semifinals ends their run in this competition.  As those teams head home, the teams remaining – Spain, France, Croatia and England – are preparing to meet each other in two semifinals on Tuesday (July 27).

GROUP A

ENGLAND 1 – 1 FRANCE

France took advantage of their lead in Group A after beating both the Netherlands (4-1) and Austria (5-0) in the first two group games by resting several key players from XI that started in the two previous games.  France’s captain, Gueida Fofana (defense, Le Havre)  as well as Chris Mavinga (defense, Liverpool) and Francis Coquelin (midfield, Arsenal) were rested the entire game.  Meanwhile, Alexandre Lacazette (forward, Lyon) as well as Antoine Griezmann (midfielder, Real Sociedad) and Timothee Kolodziejczak (defense, Lyon) were not summoned for action until well into the second half.  Many of the players rested for France had played a majority of minutes in the two previous games and had picked up a yellow card (Fofana, Mavinga, Lacazette, Kolodziejczak) in the tournament.  By using these players sparingly, France’s coach, Smerecki, ensured they would be available in the semifinal against Croatia.

Meanwhile, England only made three changes to the XI that started against the Netherlands- leaving out Nathan Baker (defense,Villa), Reece Brown (defense, Manchester United) and Matthew Phillips (midfield, Wycombe Wanderers).  Of those rested for England, only Reece Brown had picked up a yellow card in the two opening matches.

Despite the numerous changes in the lineup, France maintained the attacking prowess they exhibited in the first two matches- forcing England’s keeper (Declan Rudd, Norwich) into several important saves.  England appeared sluggish in the opening half, only managing to get two attempts on goal.  After the break, England did not initially appear to fare much better- and France continued to apply pressure.  Shortly after, France were rewarded with the opening goal in the 56′ as Tafer (forward, Lyon) scored for Les Bleus in his first appearance in the tournament.  In the closing third of the match, England became increasingly dangerous and were unlucky not to equalize when Matthew Phillips scored in the 3rd minute of overtime after coming on as a substitute.

In the end, neither France nor England needed a win to progress and they qualified as first and second in the group respectively.

NETHERLANDS 0 – 1 AUSTRIA

After seemingly bouncing back from their opening loss to France in game 1 by beating England on Day 2, the Netherlands were unable to challenge England and France for a spot in the semifinals.  Coming into the match, Austria seemed to have little chance of progressing thanks to consecutive losses in the first two matches and a staggering goal difference after being slaughtered 5-0 by France.

The Netherlands started this match with only one change from their starting XI vs England.  Imad Najah (defender, PSV) was replaced by Tim Eekman (defender, Feyendoor) after picking up two yellows in the first two games.  Austria made 4 changes to the lineup that succumbed to France in the second game of the group – leaving out Mahmud Imamoglu (defense, First Vienna), David Alaba (midfield, Bayern), George Tiegl (midfield, Red Bull Salzburg) and Marco Meilinger (forward, Red Bull Salzburg).

Both teams approached the match cautiously in the first half, not wanting to ruin their chance of qualifying for the semifinals, qualification for the U20 FIFA World Cup, exposure on a bigger stage or risk their pride.  Given the pressure both teams were under, it took a while for the match to build up to a shot on goal- almost twenty minutes.  The first shot, produced from a free kick, was the first of only five attempts Austria made the entire match.  Both teams had opportunities (though few and far in-between) to take the lead in the second half- but key saves from the keepers on both ends kept the score 0-0.

The start of the second half saw Austria push back more, but the turning point of the match occurred 10 minutes from time when Bacuna, a Dutch defender, was shown a red card for a hard foul.  A few minutes later, as both teams became increasingly desperate to end the game on top, the Dutch committed a foul in the box. Through a penalty taken by  Djuricin (forward, Hertha), Austria took the lead 3 minutes from time.

For a short period of time, Austria were set to progress to the semifinals as England had failed to equalize in their game against France.  However, despite the dissapointing news received a few minutes later  (that England had equalized) – Austria’s 3rd place finish, qualification for the 2010 U20 FIFA World Cup and Dutch scalp will allow them to return home with their pride intact.

The same cannot be said of the Dutch team – whose performance can only be summarized as a disappointment.

GROUP A FINAL STANDINGS

___________________________________________________________________

GROUP B

SPAIN 3 – 0 ITALY

With a third consecutive win and with France only managing a draw with England, Spain are the only team left in the tournament able to boast a 100% winning record.  Spain’s first two wins against Portugal and Croatia coupled with results of the other group matches allowed them to secure qualification before game 3.  With that security, Spain made six changes to their starting XI.  But despite Spain having already secured their progress to the semifinals in the previous game and lineup changes, they continued to play with the flair and energy they demonstrated in the competition previously.

Unsurprisingly, Spain dominated possession from the start of the game and Italy, at times, seemed unable to keep up with Spain’s quick passing style.  Italy were put on warning from the 3rd minute after Spain almost took an early lead which ended up going wide (barely).  It should be said that despite going scoreless, Italy did manage to get in a few good shots-and according to UEFA stats, Italy barely out-shot Spain in goal attempts (8-6).  However, Italy’s downfall was a collective poor defensive performance.  The Italian team appeared sluggish in comparison to the pace of the Spanish.  Worse, Italy’s inability to gain possession led to them to commit fouls both out of frustration and simply because they were outclassed (and thus unable to get the ball cleanly even if they wanted).

After conceding two goals in the first half, Italy tried to rally for a comeback- but their movements forward left them exposed at the back.  Spain took advantage of the space and continued to get themselves into dangerous positions.  In the 57th minute, Italian defender Crescenzi committed a hard foul on Spain’s Calvente in the box- and a penalty was granted to help Spain solidify their win and dash Italy’s hopes.

As Spain moves forward to face England in the semifinals, they may find comfort in the fact that the last time they qualified for the semifinals, they won the tournament (2007).  Thus far, they’ve managed to thrive under enormous pressure- but it remains to be seen if they can continue performing in the same manner or if they’ve peaked too soon.

Meanwhile, Italy leave this tournament having only secured a single point in their draw against Croatia and having failed to score a single goal.  Their performance at this tournament, coupled with the performance of their senior team at the World Cup, will have made for a disappointing summer for Italy fans.

PORTUGAL 0 – 5 CROATIA

Croatia have managed to progress to the semifinals of the this tournament in their first appearance- and they managed to do it with style.

In the opening minutes of the game, Portugal seemed to start off a bit brighter with some good opening attempts.  But, by the 19th minute, Croatia managed to contain Portugal and take the lead through a Andrijasevic penalty after Ozobic was brought down in the area.  After that, Portugal were unable to get ahold of the game and seemed unsure how to stem the tide of Croatian attacks.  Six minutes after the penalty, Pamic doubled the Croatian lead with a quick header.  At the 37th minute, Croatia found another goal through Pamic who scored from a 30m free kick to make it 3-0 at half-time.

Shortly after the break, Croatia appeared to run into a bump in the road when their captain, Kelic, was issued a straight red.  But, Portugal failed to capitalize on their numbers advantage and a mere 13 minutes later they were down 4-0 as Ozobic scored for Croatia.  After only pausing to allow a quick Portuguese substitute, Pamic completed his hat trick in the 69′ and made it 5-0 for Croatia.

GROUP B FINAL STANDINGS

Tags: Arsenal, Championship, Croatia, Dutch Team, European, Fofana, France France, Group Games, Liverpool, Losses, Lyon, Midfield, Midfielder, Netherlands, Participant, Participation, Previous Games, Real Sociedad, Second Half, U20 Fifa World Cup, World Cup Final, Wrapup, Yellow Card

Spain celebrating their win over Portugal…

Spain became the first team to qualify for the semifinals on Day 2 of the U19 European Championships Group Stage.  Spain’s second consecutive win means they will feature in the semifinals for the first time since they won the tournament in 2007.  Meanwhile, Italy failed to score in their second consecutive game, Croatia failed to take advantage of an extra man against Italy, France continues their scoring streak with five more goals against Austria and Netherlands rebounded from their game 1 loss by beating England (making Group A very interesting going into Day 3).

SPAIN 2 – 1 PORTUGAL

In a rematch of the World Cup round of 16 between the two neighbors on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain once again emerged victorious.  The Portugese team was confident going into the match having beaten Spain 1-0 in the qualifying round, but couldn’t best the two goals scored by Daniel Pacheco (Liverpool).  Pacheco’s second goal, which was scored in the final minutes of overtime, was the reward of a game largely dominated by Spain not only by possession but by quality of chances as well.  Portugal can thank their goalkeeper, Tiago Maia, for keeping them in the game as he denied several promising shots by Spain in the opening minutes of the match.

CROATIA 0 – 0 ITALY

The losers of both Group B matches from Day 1 faced each other, with both sides appearing desperate for a win.  In the opening moments, Croatia looked to be leaving Italy in the dust as they got themselves into several dangerous positions- particuarly a freekick from Ozobić and a shot Vukušić that just barely sailed over the goal.  But, in typical Italian fashion, Italy managed to absorb the Croatian attack and slowly inched their way back into the match, despite being a man down for the last 30 minutes of normal time once left back Michelangelo Albertazzi received two yellow cards in less than 2 minutes.  The top goal scorer from qualifying, Destro, managed to force a few saves from the Croatian keeper but ultimately neither team were rewarded for their diligence and entertaining performances.

ENGLAND 0 – 1 NETHERLANDS

After losing 4-1 to France on Day 1 (including conceding an own goal), the Netherlands team definitely had something to prove in this game.  The England team being from England almost always have something to prove- especially after some harsh criticism in the press on their first game against Austria.  Given the pressure on both teams, the stage was set for an entertaining game- and though the Netherlands dominated most periods of the game, the score line is an accurate reflection of how the game felt to watch.  Throughout the game, England managed to carve out a few good opportunities, but didn’t manage to become dangerous.  While the Netherlands only had 4 attempts on goal, England didn’t manage a single shot on goal except a goal that was a ruled to be a result of a handball, voiding the equalizer.  Both England and Netherlands have the opportunity to advance – though the Netherlands will be facing almost certainly eliminated Austria while England face the group’s top side (and tournament host), France.

FRANCE 5 – 0 AUSTRIA

Two doubles by Antoine Griezmann (Real Sociedad) and Alexandre Lacazette (Lyon) and a single effort by Enzo Reale (Lyon) helped to continue the winning streak France established in their Day 1 game against the Netherlands.  In the first two qualifying games, France have score 9 goals- which is 2 goals more than the sum of goals scored by their Group A competitors combined (NED=2,ENG=3,AUT=2).  So while France seem to be thriving in front of a home crowd, it remains to be seen if they can sustain both the motivation and these types of performances for the rest of the competition.  Fortunately, the U19 tournament is much shorter than senior tournaments and thus the fear of “peaking too soon” is much less dangerous.  Fans of France will be happy to know that the goal scorers in this game weren’t the only bright spots-both Mavinga (formerly PSG,now Liverpool) and Gael Kakuta (Chelsea) were also a pleasure to watch…

I also recommend checking out The Offside-Ligue 1 Prospect blog for reactions and reviews of games!

Tags: 30 Minutes, Being A Man, Championship, Consecutive Game, European, Extra Man, Fashion Italy, Freekick, Game 1, Group Stage, Iberian Peninsula, Italian Fashion, Italy France, Liverpool, Losers, Maia, Michelangelo, Neighbors, Overtime, Pacheco, World Cup, Wrapup, Yellow Cards

U19 Tournament hosts France celebrate after demolishing the Netherlands 4-1

CROATIA 1 – 2 SPAIN

Debutants Croatia were unable to overcome 4-time Champions, Spain, in the their first game of the of the competition despite taking the lead before half-time (42′).  The Croatian goal came as a bit of a surprise since the Spanish side had been dominating possession (shocking!)- but the Croatian were abel to break through with a long range effort from Andrijašević.  However, thats all Spain needed to rally and come from behind to score twice in the second half.  Thiago Alcántara brought Spain level in the 53′ and Rodri, the second best goal-scorer in qualification that is playing in this tournament scored the second goal in the 64′ to collect all three points.  Spanish fans will be relieved to see that Spain were able to battle back after being down a goal since the team has failed to qualify out of the group stage since they won the tournament in 2007.  It will be interesting to see how Croatia fare in their second group game against Italy, especially how the defeat affects the team morale.  Croatia have yet to prove in qualification that they can bounce back from a loss due to their 100% qualification record.  

ITALY 0 – 2 PORTUGAL

The match, which was a a repeat of the 2003 finals of this tournament, resulted in a win for the opposite team as Portugal took a 2-0 league within 12 minutes in the second half.  Portugal’s goal scorers, Nélson Oliveira and Sérgio Oliveira, were both the result of clinical finishing from open play and a free-kick.  The top goal scorer in the tournament, Italy’s Destro, came close several times – including several times in the opening minutes of the match.  But despite Italy’s bright start, they were unable to capitalize on their opportunities and now sit at the bottom of the group with Croatia who were beaten by Spain.  Despite the loss, Italy’s perserverance in the last moments of the match were admirable as they were reduced to NINE men after right back Alessandro Crescenzi was carried off and Marco D’Alessandro was shown a red card.

AUSTRIA 2 – 3 ENGLAND

After going two goals ahead, England appeared to be on their way to an easy victory.  In the end, England kept their poise and managed to keep their lead against a determined Austrian side.  England first pulled ahead by a double from Frank Nouble who was able to take advantage of successive defensive errors by Austria inside the first 30 minutes.  Austria tried to rally back in the second half, and came close in the second half after twice reducing the deficit to the single goal.  But ultimately, England were able to hold on to their lead and will hope to make it 2-0 when they meet the Netherlands later this week.  Austria will have to beat hosts, France, to have a chance of progressing to the semi-finals.

FRANCE 4 -1 NETHERLANDS

While the France national team definitely kept the world entertained with their off-field antics this summer, the youth squad managed to restrict their entertaining performances to the field with an emphatic 4-1 victory over the Netherlands in front of a home crowd.  The squad of Bleuets have a history of success- with the bulk of this team having made it to the finals of the U17 championship two years ago.  Gael Kakuta, the player whose transfer was responsible for Chelsea being heavily fined and suspended for transfers, struck first with Cédric Bakambu scoring two in front of the new manager of the senior Bleus team, Laurent Blanc.  The Netherlands managed to score one when they were only down two goals to make it 2-1…but they were unable to capitalize on the momentum and succumbed to an own-goal to help solidify France’s win.

Tags: Abel, Best Goal, Championships, Debutants, Destro, European, First Game, Free Kick, Goal Scorers, Group Game, Group Stage, Perse, Rodri, Second Group, Second Half, Several Times, Spanish Fans, Spanish Side, Taking The Lead, Team Morale, Time Champions, Top Goal Scorer, Wrapup

In one of his pre-World Cup posts, Chris provided the average ages of all the teams and listed them youngest to oldest.  In hindsight- the list is even more fascinating to me.  After revisiting this list, I think its fair to say some of the most exciting teams to watch at the World Cup were some of the youngest- Ghana (24.1), North Korea (24.8), Germany (25), Cameroon (25.2), Spain (25.9) and Chile (25.9) were the six youngest teams at this tournament.

And not only were these teams exciting- but they were also some of the best success stories of the tournament.

• Four out of six of these teams qualified for the knock-out stages (Ghana, Germany, Spain and Chile)
• Half of them were in the quarters (Ghana, Germany, Spain)
• A quarter of them were in the semis (Germany and Spain)
• One of them won the whole thing (Spain..I hope this was obvious)!

These facts- coupled with discovering a country’s next “[insert each country's international legacy here]” make the under-19 European Championship an even more exciting prospect.  If you aren’t convinced then I suggest revisiting Chris’s post to check out the top six oldest teams who played (and largely failed) at the World Cup…

For those already convinced, here is a primer on what you can expect from the tournament which kicks off tomorrow (Sunday, July 18th) in Northern France…

When and Where is this? The competition kicks off tomorrow (Sunday, July 18th) and is being held in Northern France.

Competition Format: The competition has three stages- a qualification round, an “elite” round and then a final round.  The qualification stage which kicked off in September was made of groups of four where teams played “round robin” style both home and away and the top two teams in each group advanced to the “elite level.”  A number of 3rd placed teams also advance (depending on number of teams competing) based on their records versus the top two teams that automatically advanced.

The elite level took place last Spring where seven teams won the opportunity to join France in the finals tournament.

The final tournament consists of two groups of four teams where the top two teams in the group advanced to the semi finals and then the winners of those matches play in the finals.

Which teams are in the finals? Honestly? Most of the countries you’d expect with only a few surprises- Austria, Croatia, England, France, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.  It seems Germany used up all its youth at the World Cup finals…

And what are the Groups and Match Schedules? Good question – Screen captures courtesy of UEFA.com…

So, no chance of an ESP-NED rematch unless both teams make it out of their groups?  Is this likely and who are the favorites?

Well, historically, Spain have qualified the most times since the U-19 championship replaced the U-18 tournament in 2001.  Including this years tournament, they’ve qualified seven times beating England who have qualified six times and German and France who have made it to this point five times.

Of the seven times Spain have qualified they’ve won it four times (2002, 2004, 2006, 2007).  France, who historically dominated the U-18 competition, have only won this tournament once (2005) along with Italy (2003), Germany (2008) and Ukraine (2009).

But, take all those historical indications of success with a grain of salt as Spain have failed to make it out of the group stage since their win 2007.  And even their coach has recently admitted that the youth teams in Spain are under more pressure than ever to succeed since the success of their senior team both in 2008 and this summer.

France are also considered favorites no only because they are hosts but also because most of the team was present at the U-17 finals two years ago where they lost to Spain.  France have a tough first game against the Netherlands who beat France last October 4-2- but the coach is optimistic that the thrill of having their families watch them will help France overcome the Dutch who are suffering from player suspensions.

The current titleholders, Ukraine, did not qualify.

And you really think future stars of the game will be there? Yes- at least the future stars of European teams.  When France won the U-18 edition (which later became the U-19 tournament), their team included William Gallas, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet- Henry and Trezeguet won the World Cup with the France senior team two years later.  Other players who dominated this tournament that may seem familiar to you include Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti, Andrea Pirlo, Robbie Keane, Fernando Torres, David Silva and Sergio Ramos…and they are just the top top of a long list.

Tags: Championship, Chile, Competition Format, Elite Level, European, Exciting Teams, FUTURE, Germany, Ghana, Hindsight, International Legacy, July 18th, Knock Out, North Korea, Northern France, Quarters, Semis, Spain, Starts, Success Stories, World Cup

We send Football Branding: The story of European football in Nigeria Eric Okeke European football is making a very influential in Nigeria, the spirit and the enchanting attention of soccer buffs, the young and young at heart, affects the way Nigerians to relax and unwind, and throwing up business opportunities for smart entrepreneurs. And the story of this brand is that the football club to support, fun, entertainment, gambling, and industry in Nigeria, but the game is being played on thousands of miles away. For the Nigerians, football was fun and relaxing, and football players are the brands, while watching the games is the business. Major brands of European football to make waves in Nigeria, UEFA Cup, Premier League and English. When these teams are committed to competitive soccer leagues for a cup, his Nigerian fans held spellbound. It is as if the game is played in Nigeria. Some fans are strong in their support of the clubs they love. Come and see the campaigns in Nigeria, the clubs before a crucial match. Sometimes fanatical. And often results in fights and big battles between supporters of different European clubs. The support of the clubs sometimes go beyond the ordinary. At times, emotions run high. The big names are Manchester United, Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and more. For these clubs, their images loom large in Nigeria, and they command followership big fans even willing to trade blows, fighting, or in a heated argument to support their clubs involved. The impact of European football in Nigeria is so intense that it’s the way football fans relax and unwind amid fun, food and drink design. Two European clubs with the largest crowd of supporters in Nigeria are Manchester United (Man U) and Chelsea. And the curious observer of the profile of these supporters will see clear differences in terms of stratification or social class, education, and income power. How? Man U, the fanatical support of small, professional and upper class who have a flat screen television sets at home under the spell, and subscribe to cable television. And after every victory of this football club, you hear screams from Man U for Life! by enthusiastic fans. This is followed by crowds of beer parlors and pepper soup joints in most cities in Nigeria to celebrate the win. When they gather and enjoy the victory, you hear agitated fans tell so many stories about the game, telling all sorts of rigorous discourse analysis and make the game just played. After every big game, there’s plenty of football in Nigeria storytelling. Chelsea on the other hand, the total control of the masses, the lower class, boys of the street, the Park touts engine, unemployed youth and street children known as poplularly area boys in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria. They are more in number, are fanatical in their support for Chelsea, and are even willing to die for the team. As a Man U Chelsea confronts in a big game, there is tension in Lagos, before the race day. UEFA Cup Final in 2007 or 2008 (I am not sure of the year now) between Man U and Chelsea was a storm in a tea cup in Lagos. Seven days before the match, the tension was palpable in Lagos. Who will win the match? The big question triggered intense debates about the city and sometimes resulted in pre-match clashes between Man U and Chelsea fans in Nigeria. Sports newspapers increased the tempo as they soaked supporters of both clubs with interviews, news, and the rave reviews of the clubs preparations, the suitability of players, and the final strategies. Man U will win, we have Man U for Life! The club’s supporters will sing to the annoyance of Chelsea fans who loudly react with Chelsea Up! Chelsea fans in Lagos, bigger than Man U for Life chanters. Chelsea The buffs are everywhere, in the streets, markets and parks engine. More than 80 percent of commercial bus drivers in Lagos have been die-hard fans of Chelsea. And they are very hard. They can throw caution to the wind and fight everywhere with bottles, rocks, dangerous objects, especially when high on alcohol and tobacco smells. Not so with Man U fans. They are bred, better educated and work in blue-collar and white collar jobs. They are soft and refined in their football behavior, but also in their fanatical support for Man U, hence the slogan, Man U for Life, a clear indication they are not prepared for their European club brand loyalty switch, or the man win or not. And in many cases, Man U win. Back to EPIC that Man U / Chelsea Final. Twenty-four hours before the game, the entire city of Lagos was drowned by the fever of the game. There were unconfirmed reports of clashes between supporters of both clubs in different parts of Lagos. Bus drivers and conductors fought to let the air radio stations with pre-match reviews and interactive programs for listeners to express their views on the outcome of the match air. Man U vs Chelsea was so thick in the air that many people eagerly await the game to come and go. Match day, fans crowded viewing centers and beer parlors to watch the game. Would your view of the European Football Championships in Nigeria, does not look at home. Jump to a tour center and sit with overzealous fans and listen to all kinds of stories and analysis as the game progresses. You can write a book full of such stories. Soccer storytelling is strong in Nigeria. There is the story of a Manchester United fan, home in Lagos, Nigeria, viewing the latest epic football match with Chelsea. Suddenly there was power failure. He did not have a standby electric generator to power his television. Desperate not to miss action in the contest, he stormed into a hotel, a tour center. Unfortunately the place was crowded out by the Chelsea fans. He burst into the heart cry Man U for life. The Chelsea fans are promptly threw him out. Man U eventually won that game, to the chagrin of fans of Chelsea. Oh! Hell was almost let loose in Lagos metropolis. Man U fans celebrated, but at a moderate pace, as Chelsea fans, almost to madness. Blames much of the Chelsea fans. Oh! The referee was partial, there was not enough extra time, Didier Drogba did not play well enough, so much guilt, but the fact remained that Man U won on penalties after both teams at the same height at the end of extra time. Come and see celebrations by Man U fans. Three days later they were still celebrating. Even married women are in the fray. A madam, a Man U fan threw open her restaurant and offered to customers, apparently Man U fans, free drinks. Man U the fever is very strong in Nigeria. To say Chelsea fans were disappointed … … being charitable, bitter … … yes, because that was the first time, I was told, their beloved club am very close to clinching the UEFA Cup. And they missed. The support for European clubs seeps to families, some breaches of the peace at home, so the friction between children and creating challenges for parents in managing their kids’ support for European football clubs < ; / P>

Take the story of my family of four sons (17 years old, 15 and 10) and a daughter who has just five, and do not club. Chidubem my first kid is a diehard supporter of Liverpool. enter his room, you will be a life-size poster photo of the entire team of Liverpool in the wall attached to see. The second boy, Chibuzor is an avid supporter of Barca. I had never heard that name . When I asked him what club is that it was immediately told me, ‘Dad, do you find the time, grinning. “Who is Barca,” I asked surprised. “Barca Barcelona means,” he taught my son me. I thought I had today. Chika the youngest boy loves Chelsea. When their favorite teams win or lose, come and see the commotion in my house. It could be Jubilations, as a win, or insult the other brothers as a loss. If the match between Liverpool, Barca or Chelsea, there are fights in my house, so serious that at times I threaten to discipline if they continue to bring peace to disrupt home . The youngest boy Chika is always at the receiving end. If Chelsea win Liverpool or Barca, the boy is in trouble. It may even be bigger brothers tease him or me or their mother is not around. At one time, they ran after him to slay him, and he rushed off to walk me to save. I did. If Chelsea lose, Oh Come and see the scorn of the big brothers. In that situation, I usually spawn Chika him to ensure that Chelsea will win another day. That is the impact of the Nigerian Football European families, relatives sometimes polarizing. It is not just the European clubs that are celebrated in Nigeria. The players are honored. Big names like Didier Drogba, David Beckam, Thanks, Christian Ronaldo, Ronaldinho and many others will be honored. They are not only large brands soccer in Nigeria, they are idols. Nigerian people see them as status symbols and role models. The average teenager has Nigerian high size pictures of European football stuck superstars in their rooms. Nigerian youth know that the movement and transfer fees from European football star is much more than that of the Nigerian players play in European clubs. The story of the European football brands, not just to play. It’s also about the industry. People Gamble competitions, some even in deployments.’s centers shoot up like mushrooms all about Lagos with flatscreen TVs, and is connected to cable TV channels. Match fixtures are displayed on chalkboards planted on street sidewalks to the attention of passersby. The centers charge gate fees for football fans matches want to see. Some hotels, hospitality outfits have joined the struggle of showing these events to attract more patronage. Many of them on match days in the open market flat screen televisions for free. But every client to watch the match needed to buy drinks. But watching the centers active in problems now with DSTV, the cable TV company in Africa that the franchise to the radius of the football matches in the African continent. DSTV wants the center to view the fees or royalties payable to the company because they charge fans money to match. The cable company’s position is that the channel for home entertainment by subscribers, and if the customer cost money to watch the person or company has to pay nothing to DSTV. The centers are viewing crying mistake and says that it will squeeze them out of business. A showdown is imminent. There are many sports souvenir T-shirts … … … Wall Photo Papers … give-aways and other European sports consumer goods soccer stars and their clubs are sold in Nigeria. It’s big business. And there are many magazines dedicated exclusively to soccer. They come in various shades of the tabloids, are cheaper than regular newspapers, and are heavily visited by football loving youngsters account of the fortunes of their favorite players and clubs. But no club loyalty not stop them from the love each player, and sometimes they want to play the love sign-on for their favorite clubs. Thanks, the young player Barcelona popular among Nigerian youths. They like its small size and nimble movements in the field. Nigerian young people believe that this talented young Argentine football sense. The same goes for the Brazilian, Ronaldinho. So you see anytime European football in the air, know that the fever is very strong in Nigeria.

Eric Okeke received MBA (Marketing) from ESUT Business School Enugu, Nigeria. He is an editor, narrator and media adviseur.Hij started journalism at The Guardian, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the author of “I want a man, a self-help book for single women looking for Mr. Right. E-mail him, ericosamba @ yahoo. … Com … … … … .. . … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … …. .. … … … … … … … … … … … … …

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