Four reasons Pinoy football fans should be excited for Euro 2016

 

 

UEFA Euro 2016

June 11 to July 11

LIVE on ABS-CBN Sports+Action, ABS-CBN Sports+Action HD,

SkyOnDemand and IWanTV.

See the full telecast schedule here.

MANILA, Philippines – The Euros are finally upon us. This is the tournament to crown the best footballing national team in UEFA, the European confederation. Spain are the defending champs, having won the final against Italy 4-0 in 2012. The matches will be held in 10 beautiful stadiums all over France.

Some say this is the World Cup minus Argentina and Brazil. They are not too far off. For European fans, this is the second-most prestigious competition for national teams after the FIFA World Cup. (The Olympic Games and the Confederations Cup would be a distant third and fourth, I guess.)

Here are some reasons why this is must-see TV.

The stars are out. Most of the world’s most recognizable footballers will be trading in their club jerseys for those with flags on them. Cristiano Ronaldo will play for Portugal. Wayne Rooney will likely wear the armband for England with Harry Kane as his strike partner. Zlatan Ibrahimovic will lead the charge for Sweden. Germany features its World Cup winners in Manuel Neuer, Mesut Ozil, and Thomas Muller. France trots out breathtakingly gifted youngsters in Paul Pogba and Anthony Martial. Spain feature superstars like Andres Iniesta, David De Gea, and Cesc Fabregas.

Almost every footballing galactic not named Neymar, Messi or Suarez will be present. (Sorry, Barca fans.) The football is going to be good.

The telecast times are not so bad. Often times these big matches air during ungodly hours for Asia. This tournament is no different. Every single match from the quarterfinal to the final kicks off at 3 am Philippine time. But don’t worry, there are lots of non-insomnia-inducing matches before that.

From June 11 to June 18 there will be several 9:00 pm kickoffs including some really tasty group stage encounters. June 13 sees holders Spain duke it out with the Czech Republic. Three days later, on Thursday, you can catch England versus Wales in a battle for bragging rights across the River Wye. Can Welshman Gareth Bale shut down the likes of Rooney, Jamie Vardy, and Dele Alli?

On Friday, June 17, Italy and Sweden lock horns at 9 pm. Can the Azzuri’s vaunted defense corral Ibrahimovic? And then the following night dark horses Belgium tangle with the Republic of Ireland at the same time.

There’s also one round-of-16 knockout match at 9 pm, on June 25.

But if you can stretch your bedtime later, there are no shortage of tantalizing midnight kickoffs. The border battle between Austria and Hungary on the evening of June 14, (technically June 15), is a good one, and of special interest to Filipinos. (I’ll explain later.) The Magyars also take on Ronaldo’s Portugal on the stroke ofmidnight on June 22. There are 3 midnight kickoffs for round-of-16 matches, including one on the midnightof the evening of June 25, a Saturday night. 

You can watch the matches online, via SkyOnDemand or IWanTV. But it’s best to take in the action on ABS-CBN Sports+Action’s HD channel, which is on channel 166 on Sky Cable in Metro Manila and on 701 in Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, and Baguio. Football is best in all its 1080p goodness.

Every single match will be live on HD with the exception of half of the final group games. The two final group games in most major competitions are played simultaneously to avoid the manufacturing of results that could send both sides through. S+A HD will air one of the games live and the other game delayed afterwards.

Matches will also be telecast on the free-to-air Sports+Action SD, but without several games, including the 9 pm kickoffs. The quarterfinals down to the final will be on the SD channel, live.

This could be the moment for two dark horse teams: Belgium and England. Despite their small population, Belgium has emerged as a world power in recent years. Coach Marc Wilmots has a lineup that is stacked with players playing at big clubs. Midfielder Kevin De Bruyne plies his trade at Man City, Romelu Lukaku is Everton’s star man, Eden Hazard is a Chelsea stalwart, and defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld impress in the back for Spurs.

This team is young, hungry, and poised to make the next leap up the international footballing food chain. Vincent Kompany, their captain and defender, is injured and won’t go to France, but that is one of just a few dark clouds on the horizon. The other being in a nasty group with Italy, Sweden, and the Republic of Ireland. Fortunately the competition has expanded from 16 to 24 teams, so two group third-placers will still reach the quarters.

England has yet to win a major title since their World Cup on home soil in 1966. This could be their best chance, with a new golden generation of talent that could erase the heartache of their disappointing group-stage exit in Brazil two years ago.

Apart from Kane and Alli, Roy Hodgson has a surfeit of quality from which to make his starting eleven. Joe Hart is an elite goalie, while Man City team mate Raheem Sterling is a real midfield talent, as is Ross Barkley from Everton. Up front Daniel Sturridge and teenage man United phenom Marcus Rashford join Rooney, Kane, and Vardy in a potent attack force.

England has a knack of exiting big tournaments in heartbreaking fashion. This could be their chance to make some new history for the country that gifted us with the game.

There’s a Pinoy we can cheer for. David Alaba will play either fullback or midfield for Austria. The 23-year old Bayern Munich star was born in Vienna to a Nigerian father and a Filipina mom, Gina.

Since Alaba has already made 42 appearances for Austria, he can never be an Azkal under FIFA rules. But we can and should cheer for him. When the Bavarians won the UEFA Champions League in 2013 Alaba proudly displayed the Philippine flag during the celebrations.

Austria play Hungary, Iceland and Portugal in a Group F that is tough but not unreasonably so. This side could very well get into the round-of-16 or even further. They feature Christian Fuchs as the captain, who recently won the English Premiership with Leicester City.

My friend Rex Torrecampo has a nice little blog post about Alaba’s Filipino roots here.

So click on the link on the top of the article, grab the image with the schedule, and print it out. True Pinoy football fans should work their social lives for the next month around these games. It’s going to be a fun ride leading up to the final on July 11. – Rappler.com

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH