Stories related to: Euro 2008

Switzerland faces a potato shortage just weeks before hundreds of thousands of famished European soccer fans descend on the country expecting to snack on French fries. The nation, which is co-hosting the upcoming international soccer tournament Euro 2008, is mashing the pending crisis by lifting trade barriers to import 5,000 tons of extra spuds, reports Der Spiegel. More »

World Cup finalists Italy and France will meet again: this time in Group C, the "Group of Death" of the Euro 2008 soccer championship. For Romania, it could be called "unluck of the draw" as it was selected for that group today along with another powerful squad, Holland, reports the Guardian . "I think there are coaches who are happier today," said France's manager. More »

Steve McClaren has been fired as coach of England's soccer team after their failure to qualify for Euro 2008, reports the Times of London.  England had been thrown a lifeline after Israel's surprise defeat of Russia, which gave them a chance to advance to the continental championships if they beat or drew with Croatia—but they slumped to a 3-2 defeat at Wembley. More »

England allowed Russia no shots on goal in last night's Euro 2008 qualifying match, but "five minutes of madness" gave Russia a 2-1win that could keep England from advancing to next summer's finals. Wayne Rooney's penalty on Roman Pavlyuchenko turned the tide of a game that England was supposed to take handily, reports the London Times. More »

In the UK, where following soccer usually means either supporting or scorning Manchester United, the national teams of England and Scotland are captivating the public, the Telegraph reports. And with England's 3-0 trouncing of Russia and Scotland's unexpected 1-0 triumph over France this week, both national teams have a shot at the Euro 2008 quarterfinals. More »