There were many important political issues at the meeting between Angela Merkel and Boris Johnson – but football was also discussed: While Johnson was in a good mood, the Chancellor did not seem satisfied.
For decades the English had to endure scorn and ridicule. At least the football fans. Because over and over again the team from the island lost important games in big tournaments against the not that popular opponent from Germany. And yes, there were really painful defeats: 1990 at the World Cup in Italy, 2014 at the World Cup in Brazil – and above all, of course, at the European Championships in England in 1996.
On Tuesday, the English finally saw the long-awaited revenge – the “Three Lions” defeated Joachim Löw’s team 2-0 and sent Germany home. And the joy of this victory is so great on the island that even Boris Johnson could not resist comment when he met Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday: “Some things have changed beyond recognition during your tenure, but for the longest time it was tradition, Angela, for England to lose to Germany in international football tournaments. Of course, I am grateful that you broke with this tradition, at least once, “said the British Prime Minister to the German Chancellor on her last visit before she went out in September resigns from office.
Angela Merkel criticizes the full stadium in London
Merkel herself accepted the joke with stoic composure, but was not in a good mood when it came to another topic relating to the European Football Championship: she renewed her worries that many people could become infected with the corona virus because of the football tournament. The semi-finals and finals will take place in London – and the final is set to rise in front of 60,000 spectators.
“The British government will make its decisions. But I am worried and skeptical whether that is a good thing and not a bit much,” said Merkel at Johnson’s country house in Checkers near London. Johnson responded: “The key point is that we have built a sizable wall here in the UK through the vaccination program,” he said.
The fact is: Great Britain currently has the highest number of new corona infections in Europe and is classified by Germany as the only European country besides Portugal as a virus variant area. In the meantime, Uefa has stopped selling tickets for the quarter-finals to Englishmen – read more here.
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