Euro 2008 news stories on Newser

Spain Claims Euro '08 Title

Chip Bayers — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 16:23:11 CDT

After beating Italy and Germany to win its first title in 44 years, Spain no longer needs to think of itself as an underachieving soccer nation. The "Red Fury" won their second European Championship, playing with flair, finesse, and a determination that the team had lacked in so many previous...

Euro Cup Arena Covers Vienna's Dark Past

Ambreen Ali — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 19:10:03 CDT

The Vienna stadium that will host tomorrow's Euro Cup final hides a brutal past beneath the stands, where more than the 1,000 Jewish prisoners were held in 1939. Nazis took medical samples and made plaster casts of the prisoners, who were allowed outside daily but could not step on...

Spain Pummels Russia to Reach European Final

Chip Bayers — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:25:42 CDT

Spain scored three second-half goals today to beat Russia 3-0 and reach the European Championship final, giving the team a chance to shed its status as one of soccer's biggest underachievers. Xavi Hernandez, Dani Guiza and David Silva each scored to give the Spaniards a shot at their second European...

Russian Soccer's No. 1 Fan? The Kremlin

Katherine Thompson — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 08:51:04 CDT

Russia's soccer team takes the field against Spain today in the Euro 2008 quarterfinals with an unlikely and ardent cheering section—the Kremlin. The team, resurging after years in decline, can thank the hefty monetary backing of an oil magnate afraid to run afoul of Moscow. And, as Josh Patashnik...

Controversy Erupts Over Dutch Goal

Katherine Thompson — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:38:34 CDT

When Ruud van Nistelrooy scored the Netherlands' first goal in yesterday's Euro 2008 match, Dutch and Italian fans alike waited for the offsides call. It didn't come, leaving the Italians incensed, the Dutch warily pleased, and the officials defiant. UEFA confirmed today that van Nistelrooy wasn't offsides thanks to a...

Gruesome Soccer 'Joke' Kicks Off Outrage

Rob Quinn — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 11:55:04 CDT

The coach of Poland's soccer team has apologized to Germany after a tabloid paper printed doctored photos making it look like he was holding the severed heads of Germany's coach and captain, the Guardian reports. The countries face each other in the Euro 2008 tournament on Sunday, and elements of...

Swiss Face French-Fry Shortage

Peter Fearon — Fri, 09 May 2008 03:07:59 CDT

Switzerland faces a potato shortage just weeks before hundreds of thousands of famished European soccer fans descend on the country expecting to snack on French fries. The nation, which is co-hosting the upcoming international soccer tournament Euro 2008, is mashing the pending crisis by lifting trade barriers to import 5,...

Euro 2008 Draw Unveiled

Mike Buss — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:57:27 CST

World Cup finalists Italy and France will meet again: this time in Group C, the "Group of Death" of the Euro 2008 soccer championship. For Romania, it could be called "unluck of the draw" as it was selected for that group today along with another powerful squad, Holland, reports the...

England Dumps McClaren

Rob Quinn — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 22:13:00 CST

Steve McClaren has been fired as coach of England's soccer team after their failure to qualify for Euro 2008, reports the Times of London. England had been thrown a lifeline after Israel's surprise defeat of Russia, which gave them a chance to advance to the continental championships if they beat...