Sports
Euro 2020 Kicks-Off Amid COVID-19 Threat (Full Fixtures)
By Adedapo Adesanya
Following a year delay due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Euro 2020 will finally kick off on Friday (today), with the virus still a major issue that organisers have to contend with.
Unlike other previous editions of the continent-wide event held in one country or jointly hosted, the tournament would be held across Europe and will be played in front of limited crowds and with strict health restrictions in place.
The tournament, the 16th of its kind, will feature 24 teams – 20 from automatic qualification and the remaining four decided through the play-offs.
It will be held across 11 different cities in Europe, with UEFA celebrating the 60th birthday of the first European Championship (then called the European Nations Cup), which was held in France in 1960.
For the first time in the history of the competition, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) will be used.
Cities, Stadium, and Capacity
| City | Stadium | Capacity |
| Amsterdam, Netherlands | Johan Cruyff Arena | 56,000 |
| Baku, Azerbaijan | Olympic Stadium | 68,700 |
| Bucharest, Romania | Arena Nationala | 55,600 |
| Budapest, Hungary | Ferenc Puskas Stadium | 67,889 |
| Copenhagen, Denmark | Parken Stadium | 38,065 |
| Glasgow, Scotland | Hampden Park | 52,063 |
| London, England | Wembley Stadium | 90,000 |
| Munich, Germany | Allianz Arena | 75,000 |
| Rome, Italy | Stadio Olimpico | 72,698 |
| Saint Petersburg, Russia | Krestovsky Stadium | 68,134 |
| Seville, Spain | La Cartuja | 60,000 |
St Petersburg will have a stadium capacity of 50 per cent of fans in attendance, with the number potentially increasing before the tournament start date.
Budapest plans to hold supporters in full capacity, though they will have to comply with strict entry requirements.
Baku will have a stadium capacity of 50 per cent. Fans will be required to provide a negative Covid-19 test before entering Azerbaijan.
Amsterdam, Bucharest, Copenhagen and Glasgow have confirmed a capacity of 25 per cent to 33 per cent. All three cities will potentially increase their capacity by May, based on the success of their vaccine rollout and local COVID-19 situation.
London will have a minimum capacity of 25 per cent for the three group matches and the round of 16 matches. They are also optimistic about having an increased stadium attendance for both the semi-finals and final.
Munich, Rome, Bilbao, Dublin as at press time are yet to provide additional details on their attendance plans.
Match ball, Mascot, & Slogan
The Uniforia ball, designed by Adidas, will serve as the match ball for all Euro 2020 matches.
The ball is mostly white and includes multi-coloured black strokes with additional blue, neon and pink stripes.
The name of the ball is taken from the combination of the words “unity” and “euphoria”.
Official Song
Dutch DJ Martin Garrix will be performing the tournament’s official song, which will be unveiled at the full opening ceremony in Rome at the Stadio Olimpico.
Matches Schedule
Matchday 1
11 June 2021
Match 1: Turkey vs Italy
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
12 June 2021
Match 2: Wales vs Switzerland
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Match 3: Denmark vs Finland
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 4: Belgium vs Russia
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
13 June 2021
Match 5: England vs Croatia
Wembley Stadium, London, England
Match 6: Austria vs North Macedonia
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
Match 7: Netherlands vs Ukraine
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
14 June 2021
Match 8: Scotland vs Czech Republic
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 9: Poland vs Slovakia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 10: Spain vs Sweden
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
15 June 2021
Match 11: Hungary vs Portugal
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 12: France vs Germany
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Matchday 2
16 June 2021
Match 13: Finland vs Russia
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Match 14: Turkey vs Wales
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
Match 15: Italy vs Switzerland
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
17 June 2021
Match 16: Ukraine vs North Macedonia
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
Match 17: Denmark vs Belgium
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 18: Netherlands vs Austria
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 June 2021
Match 19: Sweden vs Slovakia
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 20: Croatia vs Czech Republic
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 21: England vs Scotland
Wembley Stadium, London, England
19 June 2021
Match 22: Hungary vs France
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 23: Portugal vs Germany
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
Match 24: Spain vs Poland
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Matchday 3
20 June 2021
Match 25: Italy vs Wales
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
Match 26: Switzerland vs Turkey
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan
21 June 2021
Match 27: Ukraine vs Austria
Stadio Olympico, Rome, Italy
Match 28: North Macedonia vs Netherlands
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Match 29: Russia vs Denmark
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Match 30: Finland vs Belgium
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
22 June 2021
Match 31: Croatia vs Scotland
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Match 32: Czech Republic vs England
Wembley Stadium, London, England
23 June 2021
Match 33: Sweden vs Poland
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Match 34: Slovakia vs Spain
La Cartuja, Seville, Spain
Match 35: Portugal vs France
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Match 36: Germany vs Hungary
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany
ROUND OF 16
26 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 1: Runner-up Group A vs Runner-up Group B
Johan Cruyff Arena, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Round of 16 tie 2: Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group C
8pm
Wembley Stadium, London, England
27 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 3: Winner Group C vs 3rd Group D/E/F
Puskas Arena, Budapest, Hungary
Round of 16 tie 4: Winner Group B vs 3rd Group A/D/E/F
San Mames, Bilbao, Spain
28 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 5: Runner-up Group D vs Runner-up Group E
Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark
Round of 16 tie 6: Winner Group F vs 3rd Group A/B/C
Arena Nationala, Bucharest, Romania
29 June 2021
Round of 16 tie 7: Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group F
Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Republic of Ireland
Round of 16 tie 8: Winner Group E vs 3rd Group A/B/C/D
Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland.
QUARTER-FINALS
2 July 2021
Quarter-final 1: Round of 16 tie 6 winner vs Round of 16 tie 5 winner
Krestovsky Stadium, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Quarter-final 2: Round of 16 tie 4 winner vs Round of 16 tie 2 winner
Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany.
3 July 2021
Quarter-final 3: Round of 16 tie 3 winner vs Round of 16 tie 1 winner
Olympic Stadium, Baku, Azerbaijan.
Quarter-final 4: Round of 16 tie 8 winner vs Round of 16 tie 7 winner
Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Italy.
SEMI-FINALS
July 6 2021
Semi-final 1: Quarter-final 2 winner vs Quarter-final 1 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
July 7 2021
Semi-final 2: Quarter-final 4 winner vs Quarter-final 3 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
FINAL
July 11 2021
Final: Semi-final 1 winner vs Semi-final 2 winner
Wembley Stadium, London, England.
The action kicks off tonight at Rome’s Stadio Olimpico, where Italy take on Turkey in front of 16,000 fans.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as the host nation for the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Also confirmed were the hosts for the 2030 World Cup, which was awarded to six countries and will take place across three continents to celebrate 100 years of the tournament.
Saudi Arabia was the sole bidder for the 2034 competition. Its host status was confirmed on Wednesday after an online meeting of the 211 members of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA).
The members confirmed the unchallenged bids by acclamation – simply clapping during the virtual meeting led by FIFA president, Mr Gianni Infantino.
As well as the World Cup, Saudi Arabia is hosting football’s 2027 Asian Cup, the 2029 Asian Winter Games and the 2034 Asian Games. It also has long-term ambitions to host more major events, including the Women’s World Cup.
The 2030 tournament will be led by co-hosts Spain and Portugal in Europe, and Morocco in North Africa. Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina will each hold an opening match to mark 100 years since the first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930, a tournament that the South American nation won.
The next World Cup in 2026 will be co-hosted by three proximal nations in North America— the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Saudi Arabia first published its bid for the World Cup back in August 2024 after FIFA controversially fast-tracked the process for hosting the tournaments in 2030 and 2034.
The bid for the 2034 tournament has led to criticism from activist groups, who argue that Saudi laws will not protect workers overseas.
Some of the issues echoed that of the 2022 tournament held in Qatar.
The tournament will require the construction of eight new stadiums, for a total of 15 hosting venues, plus the addition of 175,000 hotel rooms, which will rely heavily on migrant labour.
Critics of FIFA also insist a Saudi-based World Cup risks a repeat of the rights abuses seen during a decade of similar preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
FIFA previously praised the Saudi bid in an in-house evaluation, noting that the 48-team, 104-game tournament offers “significant opportunities for positive human rights impact”.
However, it added that Saudi Arabia must invest “significant effort and time” to comply with international standards.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
Leading sports radio station in Nigeria, Brila FM, owned by a veteran sports journalist, Mr Larry Izamoje, has suspended its operations in Abuja and Port Harcourt in Rivers State.
The broadcast stations in these two prominent cities of the country are currently not on air as a result of the directive of Mr Izamoje.
He took the action after uncovering fraudulent activities by employees of the company.
It was alleged that Brila FM’s Head of the Port Harcourt branch, Mr Sam Victor Mpong Akakan, has not been remitting funds to the company’s account.
In a statement made available to Business Post, it was stated that Mr Akakan has been arrested by the police in connection with the issue alongside the organisation’s former Chief Accountant, Mr Ekerete Sunday.
Mr Akakan was accused of opening a company, Bricast Communications, only two months after Brila FM Port Harcourt began operations with him as the Head of Station.
It was claimed that he took the first three letters of Brila and the word ‘CAST’ from ‘BroadCASTing’ to register his business name, which he allegedly used to issue invoices meant for Brila FM.
It was said that in connivance with others, Mr Akakan issued several Bricast Communications invoices with Bricast account details to several Brila FM clients instead of the company’s invoice bearing Brila Broadcasting Services Ltd for the diversion of payments for adverts and sponsored programmes aired on Brila FM stations in Abuja and Port Harcourt particularly.
He is also being investigated for forging certificates of broadcasts of Brila FM, tendering the same to clients using his Bricast invoices and getting payments into his Bricast account from such activities.
Mr Akakan was said to have presented himself on several occasions to unsuspecting clients including churches as Brila FM’s marketer and once convinced to do business on Brila FM gave them Bricast invoices for payments to his company (Bricast) repeatedly.
It was claimed that a fraud case involving over N200 million led to the temporary suspension of the Abuja and Port Harcourt branches.
By Dipo Olowookere
An analysis has shown that an Ivorian footballer, Wilfried Zaha, is the most handsome African sportsperson in 2024.
Zaha, who opted to play for Cote d’Ivoire after the Three Lions of England snubbed by him, currently plies his trade in Turkey for Galatasaray.
He moved to Turkey from England, where he played for Crystal Palace, and was one of the stars of the football outfit.
In research conducted by Bettors, Zaha topped the list as the most attractive African male athlete of 2024, closely followed by Odion Ighalo, a former Nigerian striker, and Akani Simbine, a South African sprinter.
The Most Handsome African Athletes of 2024 rankings used the golden ratio as a benchmark for facial attractiveness.
This study carefully analysed high-quality images of athletes from various sports, offering a fresh perspective on their aesthetic appeal.
The methodology involved selecting three high-quality images per athlete, sourced from official sports archives, media outlets, and verified athlete profiles, ensuring accuracy and clarity, according to the results of the research made available to Business Post.
Fourth on the list is Alex Iwobi of Nigeria, who plays for Fulham FC in England, and a Tanzanian footballer with Greece’s PAOK, Ally Samatta, is the fifth Most Handsome Athlete in Africa.
Ghana and Arsenal’s midfielder, Thomas Partey, is sixth, Senegalese Kalidou Koulibaly is seventh, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Garbon is eight, Ivorian Cheick Sallah-Cisse is ninth and Senegalese Reug Reug is number 10 on the list.
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