Off the pitch
Cool Greece spark hot celebrations
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| Greek coach Otto Rehhagel (L) celebrates with midfielder Vasileios Tsiartas (C) and goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis after beating France 1-0, 25 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match at the Estadio Jose de Alvalade in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO Lluis GENE |
A giant cheer filled the Athens sky the moment the final whistle sounded at Euro 2004 to signal victory for Greece over France in one of the biggest surprises in the tournament's history.
The city streets reverberated with honks as thousands of cars cruised around with their young passengers waving Greeks flags from their open windows, celebrating a semi-final appearance that no one was predicting.
"I expected this victory," said Manolis Manoglou, a 64-year old on his way to Athens' central Omonoia square to celebrate.
"We played well, we had courage and momentum. I knew we would win".
A million and counting
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| Portuguese firemen and airport officials stand by the Russian airliner that aborted take-off, sitting at Faro airport, in southern Portugal , 22 June 2004. The plane with 86 passengers on board skidded off the runway at Faro airport causing the airport to close for three hours, airport management company officials said. No injuries were reported among the passengers who exited the Russian-made IL-62 plane through escape slides, said the spokesman for state-owned ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal, Rui Oliveira. AFP PHOTO / YURI KADOBNOV |
More than a million passengers have flooded through Portugal's main airports of Lisbon, Porto and Faro since the start of Euro, the vast majority of them football fans flying in to catch live action and enjoy a break at one of the cities and other noted tourist destinations.
Over 500,000 of the arrrivals landed at Lisbon, 280,000 at Faro and the rest at Porto.
Rail authorities have said their passenger figures have gone up by 13 per cent over the same period
Greeks in last minute rush
There will be around 5,000 Greece fans at the Jose Alvalade stadium in Lisbon for their quarter-final against France on Friday night after a late flurry of over a thousand fans flooded into the Portuguese capital at the last minute.
"Six charter flights were scheduled over Thursday and Friday, one of which was unhappily cancelled at the last minute," said the president of the Greek travel agents group.
The other four thousand fans are mainly soccer enthusiasts of Greek origin who are living in other European countries such as Britain and Germany.
Figo poops the party
Responding to media claims that Luis Figo went straight to the dressing room and never came back, even snubbing the post-match shindig, in anger at his substitution Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was all innocence.
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| Portugal head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gives instructions to Portugal's midfielder Rui Costa before the prolongations, 24 June 2004 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, during their European Nations championship quarter-final football match between Portugal and England. . AFP PHOTO Vincenzo PINTO |
"I saw nothing of that. They only pay me to watch the match," said the Brazilian.
"What I do know is that Luis was in the dressing room with (an icon of) our Lady of Fatima in his hands," Scolari said.
National captain Figo was hauled off after 75 minutes with Portugal trailing 1-0. The youngster who replaced him, Helder Postiga, scored the equalising goal seven minutes later.
Platini backs Tigana
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| French football international players Michel Platini (L) and Jean Tigana leave the field before the friendly football match between France and Ukraine, O6 June 2004 at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, North of Paris, six days before the beginning of the European championships in Portugal. AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE |
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| Portrait of Senegal national soccer team coach Bruno Metsu taken 26 January 2002 in Sikasso before the start of a match between Senegal and Zambia counting for the XXIIIrd African Cup of Nations Mali 2002. Senegal is qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan scheduled from 31 May to 30 June. AFP PHOTO FRANCK FIFE |
Michel Platini would seem to have come off the fence over his opinion of who should take over as France coach from Jacques Santini, backing his former France teammate Jean Tigana.
"He could make a very good France coach," Platini said.
Tigana has previously coached Monaco and London side Fulham to great effect.
Platini reserved judgement on another former international's candidacy, that of Laurent Blanc.
"I don't know if his qualities would be sufficient for France," said Platini.
Blanc has never coached. A third candidate, Bruno Metsu the 2002 World Cup coach of Senegal is also said to be in the frame.
Ricardo the Lionheart
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| Portugal's goalkeeper Ricardo celebrates after scoring the winning penalty, 24 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match between Portugal and England at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon. AFP PHOTO Lluis GENE |
The Portuguese Press reserved its highest praise for goalkeeper Ricardo on Friday following their defeat of England, who also came in for compliments.
"Yes!" screamed the front-page of Diario de Noticias.
"Ricardo the Lionheart caught the English off guard. He took off his gloves, saved the last penalty and scored the winning goal."
The sports paper A Bola caught the nation's mood, saying "Portugal v England will go down in the history of the championship whatever the outcome... This match should have been the Euro final."
Is there a pilot on board
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| A Danish supporter with the colours of his country painted on his face holds his team's banner, 14 June 2004 at Henriques stadium in Guimaraes, as he is waiting for the beginning of the Euro 2004 group C football match between Denmark and Italy at the European Nations championships in Portugal. AFP PHOTO Vincenzo PINTO |
Denmark have obtained 10,000 extra tickets for their quarter-final against the Czech Republic in Porto on Sunday but can't sell them in a case of too many planes and not enough pilots.
Fans still in Denmark are having huge difficulty finding a means of getting down to the Atlantic port. Air group SAS for example say they have enough planes to do the job, but not enough pilots to man the craft properly.
Travel agents are also pulling their hair out to find sufficient accomodation in Porto for the so-called Roligans, as Denmark fans are known.
I will not replace Voller says Daum
Christoph Daum has quashed suggestions that he is one of the contenders to succeed Rudi Voller as coach of the German national team.
"I am not part of these discussions, there has been no contact (with the German Football Federation)."
"I do not want to talk about my dreams. It is not about dreams but realism."
When at Bayer Leverkusen Daum was due to take over as German coach after Euro 2000 but a cocaine scandal saw his chances evaporate and Voller installed instead.
Daum is considered a tactical genius in Germany.
Multitude of woes says British press
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| England captain David Beckham prepares to kick a penalty, 24 June 2004 during their European Nations Championship quarter-final football match between Portugal and England at the Estadio Da Luz in Lisbon. Portugal beat England. |
David Beckham's penalty miss, Wayne Rooney's injury, a disallowed goal a minute from full-time: Britain's press Friday highlighted a multitude of woes leading to England's exit from Euro 2004.
"Down and out in Lisbon," said the Guardian.
"Agony for England," said the Daily Mail.
"It's the same old sad story," said the Daily Express.
The Sun, Britain's top-selling mass-circulation newspaper, was in no doubt however. "Cheated," it blasted. "England out after ref robs us.
Not for the faint-hearted
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| Portugese fans react as they watch TV in a street restaurant, 24 June 2004 during the Euro 2004 quarter-final match between Portugal and England in Lisbon. The Euro 2004 quarter-final between England and Portugal ended 2-2 after extra time and will be settled by a penalty shootout. |
Portugal's dramatic penalty shootout win over England kept the medical services busy at the Stadium of Light - and it was more than Wayne Rooney's broken foot that required attention. A total of 130 people needed treatment after fainting and suffering attacks of nerves during Thursday's quarter-final.