There has been only one topic in the the German media and that is the suspension of coach Joachim "Jogi" Löw after the game against Austria. Here's a small recap: towards the end of the first half Löw and his Austrian counterpart Josef "Beppi" Hickersberger were arguing with the 4th official about them being hindered in doing their job. While Uefa thinks this argument got a little out of hand both coaches insist that they had nothing going on their and were just angry with how the 4th official was dealing with them. The accusation, according to the Uefa officials, is that both men were wandering around in their coaching zone. I beg your pardon, what's that chalk marked cage good for if not to walk insde of it? The reasoning is hilarious and it just feeds the German media's conspiracy theories. Remember what happened after the World Cup quarterfinal between Germany and Argentina? After the final whistle their was a short but intensive fight between the two teams which led to Germany's Torsten Frings to get a suspension for the semifinal clash with Italy. German media was raving about the Italian journalist who supposedly gave the footage which showed Frings giving an Argentinian player a slap in the face, calling this an Italian conspiracy against the Germans. This led to a huge wave of ressentiments against Italian citizens in Germany, people called for a boycott of Italian foods and products and other silly stuff. While all that fuzz was completely out of place two years ago I can't understand Uefa's decision this year. Both coaches confirmed they had no argument and that they were only talking to the 4th official about how to use their coaching zone. With today's decision to ban Löw from the field he will not have any access to his team right from the time when he enters the stadium. Although one could argue if this really is a setback for the German team, the decision still sounds silly to me. Just like a kids' fight...
Spain vs Greece 2-1(Group D)
The stream died after a few minutes but from what I heard when it finally came up again and what I read on several blogs and minute-by-minute reports on newspaper sites this wasn't anywhere near as exciting as the previous outings of the Spanish team. A lot of players were substituted and the second tier got a chance to prove themselves. Spain are through with three victories and will now face Italy- This will be interesting since Italy are known for their bullet proof defense and Spain could have the means to go right through it.
Russia vs Sweden 2-0(Group D)
I always had Russia on my list for one of the surprises of the tournament. This is a young side, they have an excellent coach in Guus Hiddink and the success of their club teams on a European level prove that the country is on the right track again. High speed passing with lots of players with individual skill and I wonder why they broke down in the second half of their match against Spain. Sweden was helpless, it seemed and as one of the oldest teams in this tournament it is only fitting they go out after the group stage. Russia move on to play The Netherlands and this could an exciting match-up as well. Two flashy teams with great players who are always looking to attack. Could be a blast. We have to wait and see...
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