Domenech fury after France draw
Italy in group of death
The European Championship is a brief tournament and next summer's
event will be furious as well as fast. Yesterday's draw introduced
the anger early by pitting the World Cup holders, Italy, against
the losing finalists, France, and giving them Holland for company.
The remaining side in Group C, Romania, must feel
fatalistic.
"I have to say the way the seedings are worked out is madness,"
said the France coach, Raymond Domenech. "Not to have Italy, as the
world champions, in the first pot is crazy. I would also have
preferred to have played in Austria and not Switzerland, because we
would have been hassled less. I am not happy, nothing I wanted has
worked out.
"In fact, I don't think we're the happiest four coaches here after
the draw and the way it worked out. We would love to have avoided
the three other teams, but now we've got it we'll have to deal with
it."
Group C is especially intriguing but Group B could be gruelling in
another respect. It has overtones of tragic history far beyond the
little world of sport. Austria, Croatia, Germany and Poland meet
one another there. With the exception of the co-hosts, who are
alarmingly weak and may struggle to retain a vestige of pride, the
teams will be engaged in fierce competition because of the sheer
quality of the players. Croatia are one of the sides who denied
England a place.
The other, Guus Hiddink's Russia, are in the easier half of the
draw. They will envisage a route to the quarter-finals as
runners-up behind Spain. Nonetheless, tenacious Sweden and the
reigning champion Greece will also have their eyes on a similar
path.
Euro 2008 looks enticing in its entirety, renewing England's regret
over missing out on such an occasion.
Euro 2008 draw
Group A
Switzerland
Czech Republic
Portugal
Turkey
Fixtures
June 7 Switzerland v Czech Republic, Portugal v Turkey
11 Switzerland v Turkey, Czech Republic v Portugal
15 Switzerland v Portugal, Turkey v Czech Republic
Group B
Austria
Croatia
Germany
Poland
Fixtures
June 8 Austria v Croatia, Germany v Poland
12 Croatia v Germany, Austria v Poland
16 Poland v Croatia, Austria v Germany
Group C
Holland
Italy
Romania
France
Fixtures
June 9 Romania v France
Holland v Italy
13 Italy v Romania, Holland v
France
17 France v Italy,
Holland v Romania
Group D
Greece
Sweden
Spain
Russia
Fixtures
June 10 Spain v Russia, Greece v Sweden
14 Sweden v Spain, Greece v Russia
18 Greece v Spain, Russia v Sweden
Quarter-finals
1 June 19 1st Group A v 2nd Group B
2 June 20 1st Group B v 2nd Group A
3 June 21 1st Group C v 2nd Group D
4 June 22 1st Group D v 2nd Group C
Semi-finals
June 25 Winner QF 1 v Winner QF 2
June 26 Winner QF 3 v Winner QF 4
Final
June 29 Vienna
