The Euros

No, far too soon to write about “football coming home”, or add to the nonsense being talked about England and Germany. But there are a couple of differences about this football tournament which make it worth celebrating.

The refereeing has been brilliant. Calm, rational and consistent, but generally fair and considerate to the spectator. Which means, these days, that the refs haven’t allowed VAR to take over their job. We can only hope that the Football League are watching, and have the sense to see that VAR can operate without the endless delays and ludicrous nonsense which has plagued English football for the last year or so.

And then there’s the analysis. There’s been a fair amount of self-congratulation about widening the scope of those allowed to offer their thoughts on the beautiful game, but in moments there’s been significant improvement. Emma Hayes, manager of Chelsea women’s team, was so good as a studio expert that they allowed her into the commentary box for Croatia v. Spain. What a treat. I heard more insightful comments from her in two hours than I normally get in a season.

But don’t get carried away. There’s still Guy Mowbray on BBC, doing his best to wreck England v Germany with boring past statistics and reheated tabloid bluster, while the ITV anchor Mark Pougatch seems convinced that the only reason expert footballers are allowed in the studio is to confirm his account of what’s going on. Bring in the new by all means, but at some point get shot of the old.