Opinion
In the European Championship semi-final against France, Spain’s defender Marc Cucurella is booed by German fans. The image of the flawless host begins to crack.
It was not an easy semi-final for Spain’s full-back Marc Cucurella. He had his hands full against France with the lightning-fast Ousmane Dembélé. On top of that, there was a crowd that was hostile to the 25-year-old. Cucurella was booed every time he touched the ball, and a loss of the ball was celebrated with derision.
The sting must be very deep for the German fans. In the quarter-final against Spain, it was Cucurella who blocked a shot by Jamal Musiala with his hand in extra time. The numerous German fans in the stadium quickly found a scapegoat for the semi-final. This is by no means justified. Cucurella played the ball with his arm, but the fact that a possible penalty was not given had nothing to do with the Spanish defender – but much more to do with the interpretation of referee Anthony Taylor and an absurd handball rule, where probably no one knows exactly when a handball actually leads to a penalty. Even experts were divided about the scene afterwards, which only underlines the confusing nature of this rule.
It should come as no surprise that the Spaniards were irritated by the antipathy towards Cucurella. “I think it’s a disgrace. No one who does their job deserves to be booed,” said his teammate Daniel Vivian after the game. “I don’t know why the fans whistled,” said national coach Luis de la Fuente. The Spanish and British media were also astonished by the German fans.
Marc Cucurella as a scapegoat? Pay respect to the opponent!
Being a good host means not only welcoming guests with joy, but also showing respect to the opponent in the event of a defeat, just as the guests show respect to the host. When Romania was knocked out by the Netherlands in the round of 16, the team said goodbye not only with a sparkling clean dressing room, but also with a letter to the hosts.“Thank you for making us feel at home! We are grateful for the conditions offered. They are an important part of the wonderful experience we had at Euro 2024!” it said, addressing Germany.
Germany has proven itself to be a good host so far, as it did at the 2006 World Cup, when the motto “The world makes friends” was put into practice. Even if the weather and Deutsche Bahn were not particularly reliable, the fans from 23 European countries clearly felt comfortable and looked after. The image of Germany in Europe and other parts of the world has improved significantly over the past three and a half weeks.
But when fans start booing opposing players for a decision that they are not responsible for, it is not only unsportsmanlike and embarrassing, but also puts the first cracks in the image of a good host. We can only hope that the German fans who attended the final on Sunday learned one thing: losing. Defeat shows the true greatness of a host – as painful as it was. And in this defeat, we can also recognize that Spain showed the most maturity in this tournament. And who knows: maybe one or two fans will leave the stadium in Berlin on Sunday evening with their heads held high, knowing that Germany was knocked out by the new European champions. It would be a nice end to this European Championship.
Source: Stern
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
