With anticipation rising for the Euro 2020 knockout phase, which starts on June 26, take a breather and review the highlights of the group stages, with today’s Crossword!
Click start to play the latest puzzle in our Euro 2020 series.
Don’t miss our special coverage of the event. If you missed last week’s Crossword, which featured the teams and venues of Euro 2020, play it now. Or revisit the history of the tournament in the first Crossword of the series.
Sixteen teams are in the knockout bracket and fans are gearing up for adrenaline-packed games ahead.
After a year and a half of watching football on their TV screens, eager spectators are finally back in stadium seats. All 11 Euro 2020 host cities, from Sevilla to Glasgow, have allowed some fans into their stadiums, although COVID-19 safety protocols mean the arenas this year will never really fill up completely as they did pre-pandemic.
According to Union of European Football Associations' (UEFA) website, Budapest is the only city hosting at 100 per cent of the stadium’s capacity, but under strict entry requirements for spectators. Most of the other countries are hosting at a capacity between 25 to 45 per cent. Factors they consider include local vaccination rollouts, plans for reopening the economy, and a slow-down of infections due to warmer temperatures.
At the centre of it all is ensuring that the people who come to watch Euro 2020 matches do so safely. But unexpected issues and incidents can crop up.
When a paraglider swooped over the stands on Tuesday, it came as a shock to people in the Allianz Arena, and those watching from home.
In a mission gone wrong, a protester paraglided into the Munich stadium during the France vs Germany match, crashed into TV camera cables and skimmed over the stands and fans’ heads, before landing heavily at the end of the pitch. France’s coach Didier Deschamps suffered a bruise as he ducked out of the way of a falling piece of equipment. The parachutist had “Kick Out Oil” and “Greenpeace” inked onto his paraglider but received more attention for the inconsideration of the act, than for the message being conveyed – an unfortunate consequence.
What can spectators expect from the knockout phase? Play today’s Crossword and tell us if you enjoyed it at games@gulfnews.com.
