Sports: Euro Competiton History

Less than a week, we are about to be impressed by European skills and talents on the football pitch. I say, without the upcoming Euro 2012, football enthusiasts will be craving for football moments.

But I'm asking how people or I must say football fans are concern with the history of Euro Competition. I took sometimes browsing around Uefa website reading about the origins of this Euro Competition.

History has recorded that French sports newspaper L'Euipe and Henri Delaunay were responsible to the idea for a European championship. L'Equipe proposed a competition with home-and-away matches to be played in midweek in the evening.

Henri Delaunay who was first UEFA General Secretary and former French national association general secretary submitted a proposal to FIFA for European cup. That was 1927.

Delaunay died in 1955 and his son Pierre continued his effort. After agreement had been reached that the championship would be founded, the new competition was named the Henri Delaunay Cup in recognition of his outstanding services in the cause of European football.

The inaugural tournament was entered by around half of UEFA's member associations, 17 in total, and one more than the minimum required. The Republic of Ireland were eliminated by Czechoslovakia in a qualifying play-off (the two teams met after the drawing of lots). The first championship match proper was held on 28 September 1958 in Moscow's Central Stadium – the USSR beating Hungary 3-1, with the home side's Anatoli Ilyin scoring the first goal after four minutes – and the inaugural competition took place over 22 months between 1958 and 1960. From small acorns do great oaks rise.

Source: UEFA Official Website 

 

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