It’s hard to miss the information: the kick-off of Euro 2024 football will be given this Friday, June 14 with an opening ceremony in the evening then, from 9 p.m., the first match of the tournament between the organizing country, Germany and Scotland.
If the competition and the destiny of the Red Devils will fascinate the nation, this 2024 edition of the Euro will be even more special for a small part of the country: the German-speaking Community of Belgium. Sometimes little known despite its 80,000 inhabitants and its 853.6 km², this area of the east of the Province of Liège also has very fervent supporters of our national team. “When it comes to the championship, we have a lot of interest in the German championship” nuance Mike Notermans, journalist and sports manager for the German-speaking Belgian daily Grenz-Echo who we often meet in the stands of AS Eupen. “But when it comes to the national team, there is enormous enthusiasm towards the Red Devils. We also have several fairly large groups of supporters!”
And our interlocutor also points out that the craze is also justified by geographical proximity. “It’s a Euro which will be super practical for us and for Belgian supporters in the east of the country. Go to Cologne (Editor’s note: where the Devils will face Romania on Saturday June 22) or to Dusseldorf, which are 45 minutes away drive from Eupen, it’s very easy Frankfurt or Dortmund, it’s not too far either!” In fact, without forgetting that our compatriots have the privilege of mastering the language of Goethe. What to experience at Euro 2024 “like at home, or almost”.
“Given this proximity, we will cover the Devils matches without staying there. It is entirely possible to make the return trip on the same day” continues Mike Notermans. “Like the media from other Communities in the country, we will be present at the stadium with my colleagues to cover the Devils’ news as closely as possible. For the rest, this time we will have the opportunity to work with German press agencies. We hope that the tournament will last as long as possible for our team. My prediction? I see Belgium going at least to the quarter-finals. Afterwards, everything will depend on the context and the draw.
Towards a victory for Germany this Friday?
While waiting for the first outing of the Devils of Italian-German coach Domenico Tesdesco, Monday against Slovakia, in Frankfurt, it is the duel between Germany and Scotland which will open the ball this Friday (9 p.m.) in Munich . Here too, our German-speaking colleagues have closely followed the evolution of the Mannschaft. “I was in Aachen a few days ago and, a bit like in Belgium, we don’t really have the impression that the Euro starts this Friday. However, we are talking about the organizing country. At the level of their national team, the feelings are mixed but rather positive The coach Julian Nagelsmann was able to bring a fresh wind. I interviewed a journalist from the magazine Sport Bild who told me that in his eyes, with a victory against the. Scotland, Germany would be well and truly launched and I believe that they will win this Friday.
Aged 31, Mike Notermans was obviously not yet a journalist in 2006, during the World Cup in Germany. He intends to live this Euro 2024 to the fullest. “Yes, especially since it’s right next to us and the competition promises to be very interesting. I think France is the clear favorite, but we must not underestimate other nations like Portugal for example, for my part, in addition to the Devils’ matches, I would have the opportunity to cover France-Poland, Italy-Spain and then, from the round of 16, the matches which will be the most interesting for our readers.” Hoping that these are the Red Devils matches, of course.
