My Take | Now is the time for the weight of English football to finally be lifted
- Years of near misses and defeats have had an impact on the national consciousness. Euro success will lift the mood in a challenging time
A date with destiny awaits England on Sunday night and the nation will come to a standstill for a historic event that could usher in a new era. And it has nothing to do with the recent general election. The football match between England and Spain’s men’s teams will decide who becomes European champions.
For England, a win will end “58 years of hurt”, after multiple failures since winning its only trophy, the World Cup in 1966. (This does not apply to the women’s team, which won the “Euros” in 2022.)
Football fans around the world will be glued to screens for the match, including in Hong Kong. But the timing for the city, with kick-off at 3am Monday, is not good.
England also reached the final in 2021. I was living in Hong Kong at the time and dragged myself out of bed in the early hours to support my team. Dawn was breaking by the time the final penalty kick in the tie-breaking shoot-out was missed, sealing another heroic defeat. I should have stayed in bed.
A similar experience was endured in 1996, when England reached the quarter-final. I watched the game at a crowded bar in Wan Chai. This too, ended, with a crushing penalty loss and weary start to the day.
But redemption might be on the way. The player who missed England’s final penalty that night was Gareth Southgate, now the manager.
During his eight-year reign he has been credited for building team spirit and getting good results. But he is yet to win a trophy and has faced a torrent of criticism over his team selection and tactics.
