Czechslovkia is pretty easy to guess, before they dissolved they had a very good footballing history including 2 world cup finals. Denmark and Greece are probably the hardest ones to guess if you really don't know anything about the Euros since they aren't know as good teams, but since Greece was a massive shock and Denmark famously only qualified for the tournament in the first place because Yugoslavia dissolved they are pretty famous results.
Czech Republic appears as a runner-up one year, and seeing Yugoslavia and Soviet Union reminds you to try guessing countries that no longer exist. That's how I got it. I only got Greece by randomly guessing European countries after I had gotten everything else.
You would think people on a trivia site would know the history of the name "soccer." The game was called soccer by the brits WAY before the Americans started calling it that. It was short for Association Football, or Assoc. Much like they call rugby football "Rugger" they called Assoc. Football "Soccer." So the Americans started using that word, then apparently the Brits didn't want to anymore (probably because little brother was copying them) so they went to Football and rugby football went to just Rugby. So any European that complains about Americans using the word Soccer, blame England.
Agree some quizzes have it, it's a handy little add on to help you out but not necessary. Some quizzes get way too lenient with spelling and the likes too. And it would be accept not except. Rabbitohs.
I would say it is mostly based on the quality of the premier league. Unfortunately it does not always mean that the teams in the national leagues draw a lot of talent from their own country, but it does generate a greater affection for the sport and in that way more boys that play and eventually turn out to be good.
The history is actually rather complex - a rudimentary form of football was English, but the idea of moving the ball towards the opponent’s goal by passing it from player to player was invented in Scotland. http://keepingscore.blogs.time.com/2012/04/02/no-england-did-not-invent-football-soccer-as-we-know-it/
I take your point about the Premier League. It does seem that a lot of players in that league did go to the national teams of other countries, but you would think that there would be more filtering down with all of the money, talent, and attention that the league receives.
I know very little about football but still got 11/15 and 2 points by rapidly typing all the major European footballing countries for each answer (I would have done even better if I had remembered the existence of Czechoslovakia). I suggest reducing the time to 3 or even 2 minutes to prevent cheats like me getting points for things they know nothing about.
Rashford's penalty was a shocker. If it had just been a fraction of an inch to the right it would have been a cracker of a goal and probably have won us the tournament.
Nevermind, I hope he redeems himself (as well as Sancho and Saka) in the World Cup! They did their best and we still love them
The same fraction of an inch to the left and it would have be an even bigger miss. The point is: it didn't go in. Italy was better under pressure. That's it.
The behaviour of our England ‘fans’ leaves me so ashamed I am glad they lost. Violence, racism, rioting, vandalism, drunkenness, domestic violence … etc. The judicial system gives a ‘pass’ to virtually any behaviour, short of murder, if it’s related to supporting England!
Plus Pointing a Laser into a Opposing Goalie to stop him from holding on to the penalty instead of allowing a rebound.
But I'm sure most English fans are NOT any of the above. Most are passionate but not crazy. There are just a few "extreme" ones that must be stopped, it's just a soccer match for heaven sake.
I'm an England supporter and have been disgusted by the ugly behaviour of the small minority of racist, ignorant thugs who have tarnished our reputation and spoiled a moment we should be proud of. Instead of focusing on those few idiots can we draw more attention to how the majority of England fans have responded with an avalanche of love and support for the Black players as well as denouncing the racists. They do not define us and they should not be allowed any more attention. Sign the petition going around now for a lifetime ban on racist fans.
It's a strange world where, between England and Italy, it's the former that gets attention for bad sportsmanship and racism, and Italy wins the tournament playing the most beautiful and daring football.
Italy got 5 yellow cards just in the final. The England team were yellow carded 4 times during the entire tournament. And Jorginho should have been sent off for his foul on Grealish.
I feel exactly the same, it was a horrible feeling when it came to Rashford's penalty (and as the other takers became apparent). I wanted them to score not so much because England would win, but because I knew what would happen if black players "caused" our defeat.
I'm pretty sure that all countries have obnoxious fans. The salient difference between nations is that England has a greater degree of self-loathing and thus its media focus on the behavior of a small minority of idiots to the exclusion of everything positive.
I love to knock England down a peg as much as the next guy, but overall, the English side played brilliantly. People should be happy about that. Instead, people whose only purpose in life is to stir up outrage were already writing stories about racism before the game was even over. England is not more racist that other countries. In fact, they are quite a bit less racist than most. Don't fall prey to the outrage machine.
I take your point about the Premier League. It does seem that a lot of players in that league did go to the national teams of other countries, but you would think that there would be more filtering down with all of the money, talent, and attention that the league receives.
Rashford's penalty was a shocker. If it had just been a fraction of an inch to the right it would have been a cracker of a goal and probably have won us the tournament.
Nevermind, I hope he redeems himself (as well as Sancho and Saka) in the World Cup! They did their best and we still love them
But I'm sure most English fans are NOT any of the above. Most are passionate but not crazy. There are just a few "extreme" ones that must be stopped, it's just a soccer match for heaven sake.
But, no, we are the bad guys as usual :D
I love to knock England down a peg as much as the next guy, but overall, the English side played brilliantly. People should be happy about that. Instead, people whose only purpose in life is to stir up outrage were already writing stories about racism before the game was even over. England is not more racist that other countries. In fact, they are quite a bit less racist than most. Don't fall prey to the outrage machine.