Deep dive: how news brands covered Euros 2024
From on-pitch action, star players going head-to-head and last-minute goals to off-pitch controversial decisions and a reassignment, see how news brands followed the Three Lions’ journey and the highs and lows of Euro 2024
Who made the team?
It all started in May, when England manager Gareth Southgate named the provisional squad training for the tournament . The Independent Sport YouTube channel informed readers of the England squad.
Jack Grealish and James Maddison didn’t make the cut, with Southgate opting for young, emerging talent over previous established names.
Looking beyond the Three Lions’ line-up, Guardian Sport highlighted five young players to watch on its Instagram channel.
Germany’s Jamal Musiala, who played at the last Euros, already racked up 24 games, 10 goals and 6 assists ahead of the tournament. Meanwhile, group B saw the prospect of Armando Broja, a 23-year-old striker English born Albanian player.
In England’s group, Benjamin Sesko, Slovenia’s star 20-year-old striker, had scored 14 goals in 31 Bundesliga games for RB Leipzig prior to Euro 2024.
Five rule changes
As the tournament approached, Metro Sport filled users on TikTok in on new rule changes they may not have heard of. The five main changes were:
1 Any player that speaks to the referee after a decision is made will now see a yellow card in an effort to reduce added time.
2 Other different added time rules, unlike the World Cup and Premier League: Old average stoppage time of around three to five minutes at the end of each match were likely to return, unlike the 10 to 15 minutes fans are used to seeing more recently.
3 Offsides will be semi-automatic to reduce the time it takes on decisions, making it around 25 seconds compared to the average 70 seconds.
4 Every single ball in the competition will be microchipped to help officials detect when there has been a handball.
5 Stadiums are now required to show fans detailed explanations on the big screens to clarify why certain VAR decisions were made
A determined fan
A Scotland fan was so determined to see his country in action in the Euro 2024 opener against Germany, he walked 1,000 miles. Craig Ferguson, 20, laced up his walking boots, popped on his kilt in Glasgow and set off through England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands before arriving in Munich in time for Scotland’s first game.
Friends and family were there to shower him in beer 42 days later and handed him a can of Irn-Bru as the Tartan Army got set to face Die Mannschaft in Bavaria. Elated Craig also raised over £50,000 for a men’s mental health charity.
As the group matches got underway, the Daily Mail’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’ dove into England’s 1-1 draw against Denmark. Correspondent Nathan Salt took the lead in this episode with usual host, football editor Ian Ladyman, playing a supporting role. Sports news correspondent Mike Keegan also stopped by to offer his take on England’s performance.
Meanwhile, the Guardian’s podcast ‘Football Weekly’ covered a moment in history for Georgia, Ukraine’s heartbreak, as well as a win for Turkey and upcoming prospects for Romania and Slovakia in the second round.
A nose-breaking moment
French superstar striker and national captain Kylian Mbappe was sidelined until the quarter finals after breaking his nose during France’s game against Austria. Mbappe collided with Austria’s Kevin Danso competing for the ball during a corner and was forced to leave the field. The French football federation confirmed treatment would keep him out of action for a fortnight, although he would not require an operation to fix the injury.
Upon his return , The Independent unveiled Mbappe’s specially designed mask for his broken nose, which he was due to wear for the rest of the tournament. Unfortunately, the original mask featured a French flag design that was later banned by UEFA due to it not conforming to their rules and regulations on face-wear. The French captain continued with an all-black design.
That pitch invasion
Five fans successfully invaded the pitch during the Portugal vs Turkey game, in attempt to take selfies with Cristiano Ronaldo. A young fan was the first to dodge stewards and security in the 69th minute of the Group F match.
Ronaldo posed with the first fan which led to several further attempts during the game, leaving the player more and more frustrated. Portugal went on to win 3-0, booking their spot in the last 16 as Group F winners.
A controversial semi-final
With the semi-finals arriving, the Daily Mail’s ‘It’s All Kicking Off’ podcast dove into Gareth Southgate’s frustration at team leaks, the referee for England’s semi-final tie with a mix-fixing past and Dutch manager Ronald Koeman’s ‘Godfather’ status in the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard revealed referee Zwayer had previously been banned for six months after being found to have accepted a €300 bribe from fellow referee Robert Hoyzer in 2005.
Zwayer’s ban was kept under wraps until a German newspaper uncovered the decision from 2014. However, the suspension was brought back into the spotlight when England favourite Jude Bellingham, then playing for Borussia Dortmund, slated the referee during a post-match interview and referenced the ban.
The best Euros ad campaigns in news brands
Ahead of England playing in the semi-finals, advertisers turned to news brands to engage readers supporting the Three Lions.
The Euros finals
With England through to a historic first-ever final on foreign soil, The Times’ sports editor Tom Clarke gave readers the lowdown on everything they needed to know ahead of the final.
Harry Kane and Phil Foden starred for their clubs last season but hadn’t found their form for England at the tournament, with Southgate hoping they’d peak and help out Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka take England to glory against Spain.
Sadly, it was not to be. According to i, Southgate insisted he would take time to consider his England future after Spain struck a winning goal in the last few minutes
“Spain were the best team in the tournament. We didn’t quite keep the ball well enough, but we were right in it until the last 10 minutes. I’m devastated for everybody, really. The players have been absolutely incredible; I’m so proud of what they’ve done.
“We’ve just fallen a little bit short. We had a little bit of momentum in the game at that point. We also had a big chance to equalise at the end.
“Probably across the 90 minutes, I’m not sure we did quite enough.”
Independent Sport shares the England squad is keen for Gareth Southgate to stay on as manager to see the World Cup in 2026, according to Declan Rice.
Southgate resigns as England manager
After a few days of anticipation, it was official: Gareth Southgate would leave his role at England after Euro 2024.
The Telegraph informed readers of Southgate’s statement: “It has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England.
“It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all.
“But it’s time for change.”
But who will replace him? The Guardian’s football weekly podcast panel debated who could be best suited to replace him.
With familiar heartbreak for England marking Southgate’s finale as manager, Daily Star Sport looked at five things the new manager will need to change.
Unfortunately in the end it wasn’t meant to be for England, but brands showed their support for the team.
At MadFest 2024 Newsworks Speakeasy Lionesses Rachel Daly and Bethany England spoke with SunSports’ Sandra Brobbey in an exclusive chat discussing the highs, lows, drama and dedication going into being a top sportsperson. Discussing what success looks like, what the future holds for them and the Lionesses, as well as their former predictions for the men’s Euros.
