So in the early evening (GMT+0) this Sunday millions of people in Europe and beyond will nervously crowd in front of televisions in order to grasp some first hand insights, followed by close minute-to-minute monitoring of decisive moments for the future of the Euro.
What's considered the toughest group phase in recent football history has come down to two decisive matches wherein any team can still fall out or get through.
Maybe, in between the first and second half of the matches, some tv stations will flash the first projections of the Greek elections to then revert to the detailed commentary of sports analists on what we are up agains for the next 45 minutes of sports entertainment.
In both the football and the politcal arena, hundreds of millions of €uros are at stake. Apparently the UEFA can expect to receive about € 50 million in sponsoring and tv broadcasting rights for each of the tournament's 31 matches, most of which will go to national football federations and private clubs for the "borrowing" of players to their national teams.
Quite a few players this Sunday and throughout the tournament, earn per day what only a minority of the Greek population gets paid for an entire year of employment.
Except for the Irish, the losing teams in the first round will be confronted, upon their return home, with some fierce public debate on the justifiability of expensive show off life styles in view of their social effectiveness.
The Greek team will likely play its last match in the Euro 2012 today. I wonder which practical arrangements Greece and UEFA managed to make in order to allow the national team to cast their vote. I wonder if it occurred to players what the effect on abstention levels in their country would be if they would drag a television crew along with them standing in line among commoners to shoot their ballots. While we are at it, I wonder what the effects for overall appreciation of European political leaders would be if they would show up in shorts, try shooting a couple of balls, maybe elbow some political opponents, sweat a bit .....
Who knows, may be we will discover some natural talent. Spartacus did.
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