Germany celebrates end to successful Euro despite no fairy tale for hosts

BERLIN – German organisers of the Euro 2024 tournament will breathe a sigh of relief, having delivered an event without major issues ahead of the July 14 final between Spain and England, but having failed to replicate the success of the 2006 World Cup on home soil.

The European Championship has been Germany’s biggest international sports event since the 2006 World Cup, which at the time triggered a massive wave of home enthusiasm, filled fan zones nationwide and has since become known as the “Summer Fairy Tale”.

While Euro 2024 went off without major hitches on both the operational and security level, it has come nowhere close to matching the success of the World Cup 18 years ago.

The German national team went out in the quarter-finals without ever hitting top form, leaving the hosts with about two weeks of subdued passion from the home fans.

At the 2006 World Cup, an unfancied young Germany side reached the semi-finals and then won their third-place play-off against Portugal. It also set the stage for another semi-final run four years later, with Germany ultimately winning their fourth World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

Transportation between the 10 cities hosting matches was also a far cry from the impressive efficiency of 2006, with delays hitting fans and even teams, including the Dutch squad, who had to scrap plans for a train journey ahead of their semi-final against England and eventually arrived four hours later than planned by plane.

Fans took to social media to complain about these disruptions and the transport minister said the national rail operator’s performance had not met Germany’s standards during the event.

Said Mr Volker Wissing: “What has happened to some of the fans does not meet Germany’s standards and does not meet the standards I have for our transport infrastructure.”

The Euro has put Germany’s vaunted efficiency under international scrutiny as the country struggles to modernise its ageing rail infrastructure and boost punctuality.

Among those caught up in train delays was tournament director and 2014 World Cup winner Philipp Lahm, whose appointment a few years ago was welcomed, bringing a respected former player to the role.

But in contrast to the late Franz Beckenbauer, who attended matches using a helicopter in 2006 and quickly became the face of the organisation, Lahm has been rarely seen or heard, preferring to operate behind the scenes.

The weather did not always play along either, with summer storms and heavy rain during the event, another contrast to the month of blue skies throughout the warm summer of 2006.

Fan zones had to be shut on occasion due to the storms, but organisers still expect a total of six million people to have visited them by the end of July 14.

“For me the entire tournament showed that sport stands for community and social spirit. Sport and football have nothing to do with isolation,” said German Football Association chief Bernd Neuendorf.

Nowhere was that more evident than in the low-key and friendly policing, with security having been a concern with potential threats from Islamist militants, hooligans, violent individuals and cyberattacks, as identified by the country’s interior ministry.

But German security, including 22,000 police officers, with a very low-visibility presence apart from at some high-risk games, look to have done the job satisfactorily.

The tournament’s format with 16 of the 24 teams advancing past the group stage may have been criticised, but it did provide tense matches until the last group game.

Organisers hope that excitement will carry through to the final in Berlin on July 14 to cap a solid tournament operation. The final took place after press time. REUTERS