Doing the Macarena outside a sun-kissed Olympiastadion. Life probably peaked at that moment for the England fans who joined Spanish supporters performing the iconic dance ahead of the Euro 2024 final.
Three hours later, broken-hearted, they’d trudge back down that same street, into the awaiting S-Bahns and off into the night. It was a tournament of wild mood swings for the Three Lions support, experiencing just about every emotion along the way: frustration, disappointment, cup-launching rage, giddy disbelief, ecstasy and perhaps even an element of shame towards the end, given the abuse hurled at manager Gareth Southgate early in the competition.
FFT got to experience much of that first-hand, from the Denmark draw in Frankfurt that saw discontent swell, to the raucous comeback win over the Netherlands in Dortmund, when it was all Sweet Carolines and Southgate You’re the Ones. The latter provided as spine-tingling an atmosphere as this writer has ever seen at an England match – Ollie Watkins’ winner preceding a solid hour of post-match cuddles and karaoke.
The final was its own microcosm of all of that: nerves, fear, hope, expectation, belief and, ultimately, that old familiar feeling. That is, of course, why football fans do it, and the commitment shown to following national teams around for a whole summer genuinely leaves FFT astounded at times.
Throughout the month, we heard it all. 4am ferries from Dover, sleeping in vans, party buses, bagpipes for hand luggage, pulling sickies, apologetic calls to partners back home (“Promise just a few more days, babe”), thousands of pounds dropped on tickets, hotels, flights, trains, petrol, food, drink, fancy dress and all the rest of it.
At the famous Brandenburg gate Fan Mile, we met a Dutch supporter wearing carrots on his head. “Well they’re orange, aren’t they?” he grinned. Between games, fans were kept entertained by musicians who’d brought their own instruments from home.
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Germany’s now-famous saxophonist stole the show. But we met fiddlers from Austria, metalheads from Denmark and classical guitarists from Spain.
The host country didn’t make it easy on fans, though. The weather was wildly erratic, 32 degrees one moment, lightning storms the next. One Austria fan told us he was “f**king sick of it” while wearing nothing but a rain poncho and speedos – the worst thing is, we actually envied him for striking the right balance between sweat and wet.
The myth surrounding Germany’s public transport has also been busted, with heavy delays and pandemonium on platforms making getting around the country a real slog. FFT’s nadir came after Italy’s 1-1 draw with Croatia in Leipzig – our train delayed by more than two post-midnight hours.
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On a heaving platform, we locked eyes with another disgruntled passenger, who had a police escort. Clarence Seedorf raised his eyebrows at us, puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. Four Champions League titles can’t save you from the ineptitude of the Deutsche Bahn, it seems.
Much like the weather, Euro 2024 blew hot and cold when it came to the actual games. Spain aside, none of the big teams really showed up. England fell short again. France, Portugal, Italy, the Netherlands and Croatia were disappointing. Hosts Germany did a lot to reconnect with their fans, but ultimately exited in crushing fashion.
Underdogs shone. FFT was in Berlin for Switzerland’s win over Italy – as one-sided a game as we witnessed all summer.
Georgia defied all odds by reaching the knockouts. Slovakia probably deserved to beat England in the last 16. Turkey and their fans, meanwhile, were the standout stars.
The nation’s huge immigrant population, first brought over to help rebuild the country after World War Two, meant it was always going to be almost a home tournament for them. Huge fan marches, beneath plumes of red smoke, dominated every city they visited, and FFT had the pleasure of following them to Hamburg, Leipzig and Berlin. Inside the grounds, their fans were deafening.
Scotland’s supporters had hoped for their own fairytale but were massively underwhelming. Despite that, their fans deserved credit for sticking around for the latter stages, drinking one Munich Bierhaus completely dry.
FFT’s first and last games featured Spain at Berlin’s Olympiastadion. We witnessed their 3-0 opening against Croatia, watching with a boisterous Mark Schwarzer, reporting for Australian television. He told us Spain would go on and win the tournament after that display, and he was right.
England never really got a foothold in the final. Around us on the terraces of the iconic stadium, there was an edge, a tension.
Cole Palmer’s brilliant equaliser sent the crowd into raptures, but there was an unspoken sense that he’d merely delayed the inevitable. The best team won. England’s month-long mood swing was over. Football didn’t come home… but they’ll always have the Macarena.
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