W hen the Germany squad first got together for the final Euro 2024 camp two weeks ago, some of their senior players were a bit surprised. Huge numbers had come out to see them. “It was great to see that so many people were there,” Joshua Kimmich said.
“You can feel that the people at home are ready, that the atmosphere is building.” That atmosphere was at a peak on the eve of Euro 2024 in Munich, as the first of an estimated 200,000 travelling Scottish fans sang their way into the city for the opening game against the hosts . Scotland is currently seeing a shortage of kilts as a consequence.
There was no sense of this tournament suddenly starting without much build-up for them. They are among a few countries which have been relishing it for months. That’s something that figures like Kimmich can often forget, through no fault of their own.
This isn’t everything for them but just another part of football that is relentlessly dominated by the club game. It was instructive that the eve of the tournament saw the Professional Footballers’ Association join the legal case against Fifa over the international match calendar. The Champions League final took place just 13 days ago , the shortest-ever break between that showpiece and the start of the European Championships.
That’s all the more remarkable given they are both Uefa events. It is a huge reduction from the three-week break in 2012. It’s also why Kimmich is far from alone in being so immersed in the club game.
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