Joshua Kimmich is Germany's chess king, Viola Amherd supports Switzerland in the quarter-final in Düsseldorf, Mario Balotelli staggers through the streets of Udine. The European Championship splinters from Tuesday.
02.07.2024, 17:42
02.07.2024, 17:46
SDA
Scottish support
There is no consensus in the British parliament on who to root for in Saturday's quarter-final between England and Switzerland. Stephen Flynn, the leader of the Scottish National Party, took a clearly pro-Switzerland stance on X with a picture of himself and an open packet of Toblerone. He wrote: "There is only one option for breakfast". A Swiss flag underlined the statement. Flynn's post was a reaction to criticism from a conservative columnist who had accused the 35-year-old of not wishing the English national team luck in TV interviews.
Clear hierarchy among the German chess players
Professional footballers are often accused of hanging out on games consoles. However, the German national team also plays the royal board game. Leroy Sané has found his master. "I've only played against Jamal so far. Well, I'm not good at it, I know the rules," said the Bayern Munich attacking player about one of the DFB professionals' leisure activities at the European Championship quarters in Herzogenaurach, adding: "I played a bit to annoy Jamal." Musiala, on the other hand, recently reported in a "Spiegel" interview that he still has no chance against Joshua Kimmich. "Well, I'm definitely not good enough to win against him yet," said Musiala. Sané, a runner, will certainly challenge his colleague again. If only to annoy him a little.
Fickle Englishmen
From great European Championship frustration to exuberant quarter-final jubilation: England's fans in Germany are experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions. After the dramatic win in the round of 16 between the Three Lions and Slovakia (2:1 n.V.), videos circulated on the internet of supporters leaving the stadium in Gelsenkirchen with their heads down before the final whistle, when suddenly loud cheers erupted inside the stadium. Some turned around immediately, others took a moment to realize that their team had equalized in the 95th minute with Jude Bellingham's overhead kick to make it 1:1. In the end, everyone went back into the stadium.
Viola Amherd supports Switzerland in the quarter-finals
The Swiss national team will have prominent support in the stadium in the quarter-final against England. As reported by "Blick", the President of the Swiss Confederation, Viola Amherd, will be there. "I am looking forward to attending the European Championship quarter-final in Düsseldorf next Saturday," announced the highest member of the Swiss government. The Swiss team has impressed in the games so far with a cohesive team performance, a lot of passion and quality, said the sports minister. So far, only Beat Jans has attended one of Switzerland's European Championship matches in Germany. He watched the 1:1 draw against the hosts in Frankfurt in the last group game.
The staggering Balotelli
Italy's fallen ex-national striker Mario Balotelli is still in the headlines six years after his last international match. The 33-year-old eccentric wordlessly acknowledged the Squadra's 2-0 defeat against Switzerland in the round of 16 with a photo of himself in his legendary celebratory pose after his goal in the semi-final against Germany at the 2012 European Championship. Shortly afterwards, a video of him at the exit caused a stir. In it, the former Sion and Manchester City player, who has been without a club since 1 July, staggers visibly drunk on a street in Udine, falls over and can't get back on his feet without help. His comment this time: "One game like this and everyone's talking about me..."
