Euro 2008 news archive

31/08/07 England squad announced for Euro 2008 qualifiers - Steve McClaren has named his squad for the crucial Euro 2008 fixtures against Israel and Russia. There is no place for the injured David Beckham while David Bentley and Aston Villa's Ashley Young are drafted in.

Full squad: Robinson (Tottenham), James (Portsmouth), Carson (Aston Villa), Richards (Man City), P Neville (Everton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Terry (Chelsea), Campbell (Portsmouth), A Cole (Chelsea), Shorey (Reading), Brown (Man Utd), Barry (Aston Villa), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea), Bentley (Blackburn), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Man Utd), Lampard (Chelsea), Carrick (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), J Cole (Chelsea), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Smith (Newcastle), Johnson (Everton), Defoe (Tottenham), A Young (Aston Villa).

28/08/07 Russia squad revealed for Euro 2008 qualifier with England - Coach Guus Hiddink has named a 23 man squad for the crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers in September. Russia play England at Wembley on September 12th.

Full squad:

Goalkeepers: Vyacheslav Malafeyev (Zenit St Petersburg), Vladimir Gabulov (Kuban Krasnodar), Anton Shunin (Dynamo Moscow)

Defenders: Sergei Ignashevich (CSKA Moscow), Alexei Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Vasily Berezutsky (CSKA Moscow), Alexander Anyukov (Zenit St Petersburg), Denis Kolodin (Dynamo Moscow), Ivan Taranov (CSKA Moscow)

Midfielders: Diniyar Bilyaletdinov (Lokomotiv Moscow), Yuri Zhirkov (CSKA Moscow), Igor Semshov (Dynamo Moscow), Dmitry Torbinsky (Spartak Moscow), Vladimir Bystrov (Spartak Moscow), Konstantin Zyryanov (Zenit St Petersburg), Viktor Budyansky (Udinese), Roman Vorobyev (FK Khimki)

Forwards: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Zenit St Petersburg), Roman Pavlyuchenko (Spartak Moscow), Dmitry Sychev (Lokomotiv Moscow), Alexander Kerzhakov (Sevilla), Ivan Saenko (Nuremberg).

30/07/07 Switzerland facing accommodation shortfall for Euro 2008 finals - All four Swiss host cities for the Euro 2008 finals are struggling to provide beds for the expected influx of 5 million visitors writes swissinfo.org. Capital Berne, along with Zurich, Geneva and Basle are all struggling to find solutions to the problem with the tournament less than a year away.

Fan camps are planned in Basel and surrounding towns which could hold several thousand visitors, while Geneva has concrete plans for a 3000 capacity open air fan camp. The plans for Zurich are a little more sketchy at this stage but with hold ups for building permits and opposition from residents - particularly in Bern, where organisers have suggested opening up military installations to house fans - finding a place to stay during the tournament could prove very tricky indeed.

Organisers are now busily coming up with alternative accommodation ideas. Inviting families to take in visitors is one, with a hotel ship on the River Rhine a slightly more implausible suggestion.

It is staggering that such a situation has been allowed to develop in a country not unfamiliar with large amounts of visitors - and to leave it so late before coming up with potential solutions shows an almost irresponsible attitude towards fans eager to attend the third largest sporting event in the world. Federal authorities have refused to help - rejecting a plea to move the national parliaments summer session to avoid a clash with the finals - thereby putting a further squeeze on accommodation capacity. The unhelpful political fatcats will no doubt bask in the reflected glory of hosting the tournament in their respective cantons while enjoying all the trappings of their 5 star hotels - leaving real fans in the cold.

So, in conclusion, it will be almost impossible for ordinary fans to get a ticket, to attend a tournament run by an association that is more interested in catering to VIPs and corporate bigwigs, in a country that is incapable of providing sufficient accommodation, run by a government that doesn't care.

11/07/07 England's crucial qualifier with Russia will be played on a plastic pitch - A spokesman for the Russian Football Union has said it is '99.9% certain' that October's Euro 2008 qualifier against Russia will be played on a synthetic pitch. The game will be held at the 84,000 capacity Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow where it is unlikely that turf will be laid in time. The stadium, home of Torpedo Moscow, had the FIFA and UEFA approved surface laid in 2002 to better deal with the freezing Russian winters. Spartak Moscow played several Champions League games on the pitch last season when their own pitch was unplayable and didn't appear to gain a significant advantage - posting two draws and a defeat in their three home games.

11/04/07 England face Brazil in first game at the new Wembley - The football association have announced that England's first game at the new home of English football will take place on June 1st against Brazil. The game is a stiff warm up ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier against Estonia 5 days later.

04/04/07 Over 10 million Euro 2008 tickets requested by eager fans - The first phase of Euro 2008 ticket sales ended on the 31st March and UEFA have announced that, due to the huge demand, a planned second stage for Euro 2008 tickets sales, originally set for June 2007, will no longer go ahead. Fans from 142 countries requested over 10 million tickets during the first phase with strong demand from England, Germany, Holland and the two host nations. 33% of the 1.05 million available tickets will now be allocated via a lottery process in mid April. Successful applicants will be notified at the end of April.

16/03/07 England squad announced for Euro 2008 qualifiers - Steve McClaren today named his England squad for the qualifying fixtures against Israel and Andorra.

Full squad - Robinson (Tottenham), Carson (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd); Woodgate (Real Madrid), Carragher (Liverpool), A Cole (Arsenal), Ferdinand (Man Utd), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Terry (capt, Chelsea), Carrick (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Parker (Newcastle), Lennon (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Richards (Man City), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Dyer (Newcastle); Johnson (Everton), Rooney (Man Utd), D Bent (Charlton), Defoe (Tottenham).

1/03/07 Euro 2008 tickets go on sale - The first phase of Euro 2008 ticket sales begins today and is the first opportunity for fans to buy official tickets for the final stages of the tournament. The first phase will last until 31st March and each applicant can apply for 1 match per day and 4 tickets per match.

A press conference is planned for today in Basle, Switzerland to explain the ticketing application process, prices and other details. There are ticket details on the tickets info page.

7/02/07 Ireland saves Ireland - Manchester City midfielder Stephen Ireland struck deep into injury time to spare Ireland's blushes after San Marino had battled gamely in tonight's Group D qualifier. Ireland had taken the lead just after the break when Kevin Kilbane nodded in Steve Finnan's cross. The Republic continued to press but were stunned on 86 minutes when Manuel Marani scored an unlikely equaliser for the home side. San Marino, on the verge of one of their greatest ever results, had their hearts broken with almost the last kick of the game as Ireland won the game for Ireland.

25/01/07 Euro 2008 qualifier against Andorra set for Barcelona - UEFA have agreed to a request from the Andorran FA to play the Euro 2008 qualifier against England in Barcelona. The game will be staged at the Olympic Stadium, home of Espanyol.

25/01/07 Seventeen Swiss cities to hold fan fests during Euro 2008 - Following in the footsteps of Germany's success during the World Cup, special match day parties will be held in as yet unknown locations. Big screens will show the games to those fans without tickets with plans to show some games on big screens in football grounds.

23/01/07 Poland may be kicked out of Euro 2008 - FIFA and UEFA have warned Polish officials that they may take action following a row between the Polish government and the National Football Association. The Polish Minister for Sport suspended the board of the National Association and appointed his own man following arrests during a match fixing investigation. Former Polish international Roman Kosecki, who intends to run for election to the head of the Polish FA in March, told Reuters, 'The next decision will very likely be the suspension of the football association as a member of FIFA'.

With the next Euro 2008 qualifiers around the corner a solution will have to be reached soon. Government intervention in football matters contravenes article 17 of the FIFA statute and football's governing body have not taken kindly to meddling governments in the past.

12/12/06 Euro 2012 may be expanded to 24 teams - A decision will be made in January 2007 but UEFA chief Lennart Johansson has said that he is 'convinced' the expansion plans will get the green light. Follow all Euro 2012 latest news at www.euro2012info.com

15/11/06 Group E - England down to third after latest Euro 2008 qualifiers - Croatia strengthened their position at the head of Group E tonight, beating Israel 4-3 in Ramat Gan. Pint size Croatian schemer Da Eduardo hit a hat-trick to take the Croatians two points clear at the top of the table.

Russia move into second spot courtesy of a comfortable 2-0 victory in Skopje against Macedonia.

Group A - Finland top Group A after labouring to a 1-0 victory in Helsinki over minnows Armenia.

Portugal eased past Kazakhstan 3-0. Cristiano Ronaldo shook off an ankle knock, picked up at the weekend, with the second goal on the half hour.

Poland continue to improve after a slow start. A Radoslav Matusiak goal on 19 minutes handed the Poles all three points in Belgium.

Group D - Cyprus followed up their impressive performance against Ireland by holding the Germans to a 1-1 draw. One point was enough to send the Germans top of the group however - Chelsea's Michael Ballack scored the German goal.

The Republic of Ireland kept their faint qualification hopes alive with a resounding 5-0 thumping of San Marino. Robbie Keane bagged a hat-trick to take the Irish up to 4th spot.

11/10/06 Group E - Clueless England crushed in Croatia - England suffered the first defeat of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign as Croatia ran out easy 2-0 winners in Zagreb. England lacked cohesion and ideas going forward with Wayne Rooney again looking out of sorts. There were also plenty of shaky moments at the back as England struggled against a well organised outfit on the pitch, and 60,000 screaming Croatian fans in the stands. Diminutive striker Da Eduardo's looping header gave Croatia a deserved lead on 61 minutes as Croatia turned the screw. Croatia's second had a touch of the ridiculous about it as Gary Neville's tame backpass bobbled over hapless Paul Robinson's swinging boot before trickling over the line.

Group B - Scotland brought back down to earth in Kiev - A strike on the hour from Olexander Kucher and a last minute Andrei Shevchenko penalty gave Ukraine a 2-0 victory in the Olympic Stadium. Scotland finished with ten men as Steven Pressley was given his marching orders for a professional foul 4 minutes from time.

7/10/06 Group E - Dull England held by Macedonia - England produced an unconvincing display at Old Trafford, playing out a dour 0-0 draw against Macedonia. To add to England's woes, Steven Gerrard picked up a yellow card and will miss Wednesday's game against Croatia.

Group B - Scotland shock France at Hampden - Gary Caldwell's 67th minute strike gave the Scots a famous victory in their third Euro 2008 qualifier. A spirited rear guard performance from Walter Smith's charges puts Scotland firmly in the driving seat in Group B.

29/9/06 England squad announced for Euro 2008 qualifiers - Steve McClaren today named his England squad for the qualifying fixtures against Macedonia and Croatia. There is still no place for David Beckham despite injuries to Aaron Lennon and Owen Hargreaves. Scott Parker comes in to take the place of broken leg victim Hargreaves and Shaun Wright-Phillips is included.

Full squad - Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), A Cole (Arsenal), Ferdinand (Man Utd), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Terry (capt, Chelsea), Carrick (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Parker (Newcastle), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), King (Tottenham), Richardson (Man Utd), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea); Johnson (Everton), Rooney (Man Utd), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham).

16/9/06 Owen Hargreaves suffers suspected broken leg - England's new midfield hero Owen Hargreaves has a suspected broken left fibula after a clash with Arminia Bielefeld's Thorben Marx in the 24th minute of Bayern Munich's 2-1 defeat in the Bundesliga. Bayern head coach Felix Magath said 'We think he may have a broken fibula. We will know more after an examination'.

It's a crushing blow for Hargreaves and England. The 25 year old has become one of the first names on the team sheet in Steve McClaren's new look England side and has been on top form since his inspirational display in the World Cup quarter final against Portugal.

Hargreaves will surely miss October's crucial Euro 2008 qualifiers against Macedonia and Croatia giving Steve McClaren the first selection headache of his short tenure. Get well soon Owen!

7/9/06 Spain may pull out of Euro 2008 - Spain may consider withdrawing from Euro 2008 after it was revealed that Gibraltar plan to apply for membership of UEFA. It is the second time Gibraltar have attempted to gain entry into European football's elite. The first time was in October 2001 when UEFA changed its entry requirements for independent states. UEFA turned down the application then, and Spain has repeatedly said they will not take part in any competitions with the British colony. Gibraltar's application will be too late for Euro 2008, but a Spain withdrawal - in protest at a possible granting of Gibraltar's wishes - cannot be counted out. The court for the arbitration of sport (CAS) has recommended that Gibraltar be admitted on a provisional basis at the next UEFA gathering in early October. Full story

6/9/06 Group E - England hold on to top spot with victory - England top Group E after a hard fought 1-0 victory against Macedonia in Skopje. On fire, ex robotic dancing specialist, Peter Crouch hit the net again with a fine finish just after the break.

Group F - Sensational Northern Ireland shock Spain - Windsor Park erupted tonight after Northern Ireland's historic 3-2 victory. The Irish were 1-0 and 2-1 down but a hat-trick from Leeds striker David Healy - the last coming just 10 minutes from time - flattened the Spanish in Belfast.

Results: Northern Ireland 3 Spain 2, Iceland 0 Denmark 2, Sweden 3 Liechtenstein 1

Group B - Scotland maintain 100% start in Kaunas - Scotland top Group B after a 2-1 success in Lithuania. Christian Dailly opened the scoring early in the second half, with Kenny Miller adding a second just after the hour mark. Darius Miceika's late goal gave the Scots a few nervous moments but they held on grimly to take all three points.

Group A - Sneaky Portuguese held in Finland - 10 man Portugal stuttered at the start of their Euro 2008 qualifying campaign with a 1-1 draw in Helsinki. Nuno Gomes' strike 3 minutes before half time cancelled out Jonatan Johansson's 22nd minute effort.. Miguel Ricardo Costa was sent off with 37 minutes remaining for a second bookable offence.

England team for Macedonia - Steve McClaren makes just one change from the team that hammered Andorra. Rio Ferdinand recovers from a toe injury to take the place of Manchester United team-mate Wes Brown.

Full team - Robinson (Tottenham), P Neville (Everton), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Terry (capt, Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal), Downing (Middlesbrough), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham)

2/9/06 Group E - Five star England breeze past Andorra - Steve McClaren's first competitive game in charge ended in a comfortable victory as England hit five without reply past tiny Andorra. England were 2-0 up inside the quarter hour as Peter Crouch and Liverpool team-mate Steven Gerrard grabbed a goal apiece. Tottenham striker Jermaine Defoe returned to competitive England action with a goal either side of half-time before Crouch added to his impressive England goal record with the fifth on 66 minutes.

Group B - Scotland sweep aside the Faroe Islands - Scotland hammered the Faroe Islands 6-0 at Celtic Park in their first Euro 2008 qualifier. A combination of generously awarded penalties and pitiful goalkeeping handed the Scots a comfortable victory as memories of Scotland's embarrassing 2-2 draw with the Faroes in 2002 were buried.

Group F - Northern Ireland hopes crushed - Optimism in the Northern Ireland camp during the build up to Euro 2008 qualifying was frozen solid in the first half as Iceland strolled to a comfortable 3-0 victory at Windsor park. Ex Chelsea striker Eidur Gudjohnsen completed the scoring on 37 minutes. Goals

Results: Northern Ireland 0 Iceland 3, Latvia 0 Sweden 1, Spain 4 Liechtenstein 0

Group D - Late goal sinks Wales - A goal in the 89th minute from David Lafata condemned the Welsh to defeat in their Euro 2008 qualifying curtain raiser against the Czech Republic. Wales thought they had nicked a point with five minutes remaining when Martin Jiranek's own goal cancelled out a Lafata opener only to see the Czech substitute complete his brace with the winner at the death.

Results: Czech Republic 2 Wales 1, Germany 1 Republic of Ireland 0, Slovakia 6 Cyprus 1

16/8/06 England crush Greece in friendly - Steve McClaren opened his England managerial account with a convincing 4-0 thumping of the reigning European champions. New captain John Terry opened the scoring on 14 minutes before team mate Frank Lampard finally hit the target to double the lead on the half hour. Liverpool beanpole Peter Crouch, starting in place of broken ankle victim Dean Ashton, hit a brace in 7 minutes before half-time to complete the scoring.

Mighty Macedonia lead England's Euro 2008 qualifying group - Goce Sedloski's 73rd minute goal fired Macedonia to the top of group E as the Balkan minnows turned Estonia over 1-0 in Tallinn, in the first Euro 2008 group E qualifier.

Results: Group A Belgium 0 Kazakhstan 0, Group B Faroe Islands 0 Georgia 6, Group E Estonia 0 Macedonia 1

15/8/06 England starting 11 announced - Steve McClaren today named his first England team for Wednesday's friendly with Greece. Steven Gerrard has been handed a role on the right of midfield while McClaren gives a first England start to Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing. Owen Hargreaves keeps his place after his outstanding displays at the World Cup.

Full team - Robinson (Tottenham), G Neville (Man Utd), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Terry (capt, Chelsea), A Cole (Arsenal), Downing (Middlesbrough), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Gerrard (Liverpool), Lampard (Chelsea), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham).

11/8/06 England squad named for Greece friendly - Steve McClaren named his first squad today for the friendly against European champions Greece. Big name absentees include former captain David Beckham, Sol Campbell and David James.

Full squad - Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), A Cole (Arsenal), Dawson (Tottenham), Ferdinand (Man Utd), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Terry (capt, Chelsea), Young (Charlton); Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Richardson (Man Utd), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea); Ashton (West Ham), Bent (Charlton), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham).

McClaren also confirmed Terry Venables as his assistant and stressed that he is building a squad capable of success at Euro 2008.

What do you think of McClaren's first England Squad? Was he right to leave out Beckham?

10/8/06 John Terry handed captain's armband - New England chief Steve McClaren has named Chelsea skipper John Terry as the successor to David Beckham as England captain.

1/8/06 McClaren takes the helm - New England boss Steve McClaren breezed into FA headquarters today to take over England team affairs. The former Middlesbrough boss announced he will be his own man and that his reign will be different to that of his predecessor. The first job for the new manager will be to choose a captain following David Beckham's announcement that he is stepping down.

21/7/06 Turkey to play first qualifier in Frankfurt - Turkey will play Malta in Frankfurt's Commerzbank Arena on the 6th September. The game must be played behind closed doors as part of Turkey's punishment following their World Cup play-off brawl with Switzerland. Two further Turkey home games must be played at neutral venues and behind closed doors after the original punishment was reduced from six games to three.

18/7/06 Scolari signs new Portugal deal - After snubbing and masterminding the downfall of England, 'Big' Phil Scolari has signed a two year extension to his coaching contract with the sneaky Portugese. The contract extension will see the former World Cup winner through until the end of Euro 2008 when hopefully he will be able to put his feet up and relax after the group stages.

13/7/06 Klinsmann steps down as Germany boss - Ex Stuttgart chief Joachim Loew has stepped into the hot seat as Germany boss following Jurgen Klinsmann's departure. Loew worked as Klinsmann's assistant during the 2006 World Cup and has promised to maintain the attacking style that won the Germans many admirers and 3rd spot in the finals.

9/7/06 Rooney out of first two England Euro 2008 qualifier s - Wayne Rooney will be suspended for England's first two Euro 2008 qualifiers following his World Cup red card against Portugal. The Manchester United striker was charged with violent conduct and fined £2,400 for a stamp on Ricardo Carvalho.

29/4/06 Phil Scolari out of England running - Portugal manager Luis Felipe Scolari has insisted that he 'definitely won't be the next England manager'. The FA had reportedly offered the Brazilian the top job after crunch talks but following a backlash from fans in Portugal and excessive intrusion from the press, Big Phil issued a statement denying he will take over for England's Euro 2008 campaign.

3/4/06 First two England qualifiers set for Old Trafford - Following the recent Wembley debacle, the Football Association have announced that England's first two Euro 2008 qualifying games will be held at the home of Manchester United. Wembley is not expected to be ready before 2007 so the first competitive match at the new home of English football should now be against Israel.

13/3/06 England favourites to win Euro 2008 - Following England's favourable qualifying draw, the bookies are making England favourites to win the competition, closely followed by Holland, France and Italy.

9/3/06 Scotland's Group B qualifiers decided - Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifying fixtures have finally been settled. The random draw, held today by UEFA, gave the Scots an opportunity to get points on the board early. Walter Smith's side start the campaign at home to Faroe Islands before a trip to Lithuania. The run in is a little more daunting however. Scotland play the three big hitters in the group - France, Italy and Ukraine - in their final four games. For a full list of Group B qualifiers click here

3/3/06 Group E nations agree Euro 2008 qualifiers - England kick off their Euro 2008 campaign at home to Andorra on September 2nd 2006. Two games against Macedonia follow. For a full rundown of England's Euro 2008 qualifying games click here

3/3/06 Group E nations meeting in Nyon, Switzerland today - England representatives are meeting with the other Group E nations today in an attempt to thrash out the qualifying dates for Euro 2008. A random draw was called off yesterday. As soon as the Group E qualifying fixtures are announced they will appear here

2/3/06 Scotland given more time by UEFA - Scotland have been given another week to arrange their Euro 2008 qualifiers. UEFA have announced that a random draw will be made on Thursday March 9th if the Group B nations fail to come up with a satisfactory qualifying timetable. A random draw looks the most likely outcome as French FA representatives announced last week they will no longer negotiate with Ukraine.

1/3/06 Scotland qualifying dates decision delayed again - Scotland's Euro 2008 qualifiers will now not be decided on March 2nd as first agreed. UEFA have so many representatives unavailable due to tonight's World Cup warm ups that a draw tomorrow is now considered impractical. The draw will now take place next week......probably.

25/2/06 Turkey may play Euro 2008 Qualifiers in Dortmund - After being ordered to play 6 competitive home games at neutral venues following trouble in a World Cup play off with Switzerland, Turkey may play their Euro 2008 Group C qualifiers in Germany at the home of Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund. The stadium boasts Europe's largest football terrace and will stage 6 World Cup matches. Germany has a large Turkish community and a German city would seem a logical host for the games.

24/2/06 Scotland's qualifying fate in hands of UEFA - Scotland will have to wait until March 2nd when UEFA will decide the fate of the Group B nations. All chances of agreement before then now look dead after France announced that they will no longer negotiate with dissenting Ukraine.

23/2/06 England fail to agree qualifying fixture list - The FA have asked for more time to agree dates for qualifying games in Group E. UEFA have set a deadline of Thursday March 2nd for a suitable conclusion to the negotiations regarding a qualification timetable. On this date UEFA provisionally plan to hold a random draw of their own. The FA have requested a meeting between the Group E nations for Friday March 3rd to overcome problems largely caused by Russia's inability to agree on their qualification timetable.