ATHENS, Greece — Chancellor Angela Merkel watched Germany weather the storm and emerge with flying colors, while other European countries simply floundered.
Only
this time, it wasn’t a test of economic strength in the ailing
eurozone. It was the first round of the European Championship — a soccer
extravaganza lasting 3 1/2 weeks that dishes out elation and
disappointment to millions of people from the Irish Sea to the Chinese
border.
Just as Germany has enjoyed growth while other eurozone
economies have sunk into recession, its team has emerged unscathed from
arguably the toughest group at the tournament after beating Portugal,
the Netherlands and Denmark.
However, Germany hasn’t been the only one to prosper at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine.
Portugal,
Italy, Greece and Spain may be struggling with waves of government
austerity drives, high unemployment and either the prospect or the
reality of embarrassing bailouts, but their soccer teams are doing just
fine.
Among the 17-nation eurozone’s financially troubled nations,
only Ireland was sent home this week after failing to reach the
quarterfinals. But — just as Irish people have received plaudits for
coping so stoically with austerity, their hard-drinking, fun-loving fans
have by far been the best of the tournament.
Important though the sporting stakes may be, the soccer gods have also proved to have a sense of humor.
Germany
will be up against Greece in the quarterfinals in Gdansk, Poland — the
biggest contributor to the bailout funds playing against the nation that
ignited Europe’s debt woes.
The irony wasn’t lost on the Berliner
Kurier newspaper, which printed a cartoon Tuesday of a German
government spokesman telling the media that “our stance on Greece
remaining in the eurozone depends entirely upon how the quarterfinal
goes.”
Germany’s Bild newspaper put it like this: “Be happy dear
Greeks, the defeat on Friday is a gift. Against (German coach) Jogi
Loew, no rescue fund will help you.”
Loew refused to be baited, laughingly telling reporters in Gdansk that the German team has a “close relationship” with Merkel.
“We’ve
reached a deal in which she has no say in picking the lineup and
tactics and we not in her political statements,” he joked.
Here’s a look at some key soccer results in the prism of the eurozone crisis:
___
GREECE 1, RUSSIA 0
For
Greeks who have seen their living standards plummet in the debt crisis,
their team’s unexpected win against Russia on Saturday night was as
much about national validation as sporting prowess. Street celebrations
in Athens saw Greeks wrapped in their flag, wearing replica helmets of
ancient Greek warriors and waving spears.
“Greeks are portrayed as
garbage abroad, but at least on the field we’re not,” said 29-year-old
high school teacher Alexis Vasiliou.
Greece may be a debt-engulfed
country that’s threatening to drag down the entire eurozone, but at
least has a soccer team its people are proud of.
“The spectacle
offers people an outlet, an escape to leave behind even for 90 minutes
this flood of negativity from the crisis,” said Demetris Vestarchis, the
owner of Mentor Cafe in the Athens suburb of Thission. “Most Greeks
identify with these players who are showing that we’re not dead and
gone.”
“What the politicians can’t do for this country, these
players have,” said Yiannis Minasian, an unemployed 44-year-old. “These
guys have heart and guts, something that politicians don’t have.”
___
ITALY 2, IRELAND 0
Italy
scored a goal in each half to reach the quarterfinals but the mood on
the streets of the Italian capital was as listless as its hurting
economy.
Romans packing a pub near the Campo dei Fiori, a popular
square, to follow the match on TV. Afterward, they glumly described the
victory as a metaphor for the state of the nation, which is facing
concerns it could be the next country after Spain to need an
international bailout.
“Look around, do you see people
celebrating? No, because although it is a victory, we can only partially
feel it,” said Marco Cantelli, a 37-year-old banker.
“This team doesn’t even help to forget the crisis. Actually, it makes it worse,” said interior decorator Filippo Bich.
In
Dublin, Irish fans walked out of pubs looking disillusioned after their
Boys in Green bowed out of the tournament with three straight defeats.
Some compared the ineptness of their athletes to the inability of their
government leaders to negotiate better bailout terms.
“We’re
outgunned on the football pitch and in Europe. We need a win to feel
better about ourselves,” said Terry Rafferty, a retired Dublin bank
manager.
___
PORTUGAL 2, DENMARK 1
In Porto, Portugal,
fans jumped from bar stools in dismay when their team made mistakes
Sunday night. But citizens of this tiny bailed-out country emerged
elated and briefly forgot their deep economic misery with communal cries
of “Golo!” each time the team scored and finally beat Denmark.
Flag-waving
supporters clogged streets with their cars, honking horns as drivers
and passengers yelled “Portugal!” over and over. However, fans said the
mood was much more subdued than during Euro 2004, which was held in
Portugal, when the country’s economy was charging ahead following its
adoption of the euro.
After years of overspending, Portugal took a
bailout last year and now has high unemployment, recession and harsh
austerity measures imposed by creditors.
“We can have a break from
the crisis of at least a month with Euro 2012, but I think both are
coexisting, the cheerful mood and the crisis,” said Ricardo Teixeira, a
30-year-old doctor. “Our life is completely dominated by the crisis.”
Unemployed
housekeeper Fatima Santos, 45, watched the game on large-screen TVs in
Porto’s main plaza — happy to forget her economic worries for a few
hours.
“Right now with the crisis we do what is possible to enjoy
life,” she said. “Being depressed isn’t worth it and giving up would be
like dying.”
___
SPAIN 1, CROATIA 0
Spain’s late goal
Monday night against a skillful Croatia generated whoops of joy in
Madrid’s packed bars after a particularly depressing day. The country’s
risk of needing an international bailout increased dramatically when its
key bond interest rate hit an unsustainable rate of more than 7 percent
— a figure that had previously prompted Greece, Ireland and Portugal to
ask for bailouts.
Fans said the win was redemption for a proud
country and maybe — just maybe — a sign that Spain will emerge from its
crushing financial chaos intact.
“Spain’s economy is against the
ropes, but watching our team struggle, suffer and win against tough
opposition inspires us to think that if you work hard you can overcome,”
said Diego Escalante, a 28-year-old lawyer. “You can read a lot into
this beautiful sport and translate it to life. Preparation and talent
make up the base, and teamwork adds the cherry on top. Many Spaniards
are talented, excellently prepared and educated to good levels. If we
work together we will come through this.”
Sales executive Ramona
Zulma, 37, said her country’s Euro 2012 performance showed that Spain is
capable of achieving great things.
“Spain is not a backwater,”
she said. “It is a country that has worked hard to get where it is, and
it is so sad and depressing to see that for reasons that many of us
barely understand we are now suffering economic difficulties.”
