The Mbappé and Demiral cases ignite the wait for the quarters at Euro2024

Call it the Black Friday of European football, because the offer is enticing and unmissable. The best of continental football for national teams from 6 p.m. until just before, perhaps, midnight; because we do not want the other side of the scoreboard, but the feeling is that it is here and today that Euro2024 is decided. Particularly on the Stuttgart turf, where precisely at 6pm host Germany and Spain will face each other: for many this is the anticipated final, and we will see which of the two will be able to best pass the crash test. Then at 9 p.m. in Hamburg there is France-Portugal, that is Mbappé against Cristiano Ronaldo, and it seems superfluous to add more. Tomorrow then it's the Netherlands-Turkey and England-Switzerland, the quarter-final that we should have played, had we deserved it. In short, history will be made tomorrow, but the epic will be written tonight;

Yet Mbappé himself seems to be focused on a different game than the one awaiting him against the Portuguese. After the explicit statements of the past few days, on the eve of the first round of the French legislative elections, the former Paris Saint Germain star, fresh from his move to Real Madrid, returned to the subject of the vote, with a view to the second round scheduled for Sunday: "It is really urgent to go and vote in the second round. We saw the results of the first round, and they were catastrophic. Now we cannot leave the country in the hands of certain people. So get out of the house, and go and vote by making the right choice. It's a crucial moment for the history of our country,' said Mbappé, captain of the Blues, returning to the topic of the general elections and making a new appeal to vote, siding against the right-wing and the hypothesis of Jordan Bardella premier. Words that are not new, and that when they were first uttered divided, rather than united, the dressing room of the transalpine national team, given that the generic invitation made by Mbappé against "extremism" on the eve of the first round of voting had sounded to many (even among his teammates) like an echo of the position of President Macron, linked to the number ten by mutual and intense friendship;

That politics is struggling to stay not on the playing field, but at least in the stands, is shown by the affair that is also lighting up the eve of Turkey-Netherlands. Two goals, an unexpected qualification, a jubilation, a diplomatic case, a two-day disqualification. All in one night, you might say, for Merih Demiral, the former Juventus and Atalanta defender who scored twice to decide the round of 16 against Austria in favour of Vincenzo Montella's national team. A feat celebrated by the player with a gesture with a clear political meaning, one extolling the Grey Wolves, a Turkish extreme right-wing faction. A gesture that cost the Turkish defender two days' disqualification by Uefa's disciplinary body. And before the verdict was handed down, diplomacy also moved: Turkey summoned the German ambassador in Ankara to challenge the criticism of the footballer and protest against the words of the German Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, who called for the investigation, which Ankara described as 'unacceptable' and 'politically motivated'. And in turn Berlin summoned the Turkish ambassador. All this while Turkey-Netherlands, which is worth a place in the semifinals, is just around the corner, and rumours are growing that Turkish President Erdogan himself will be in the stands at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.

At least the reassuring catchphrases that are punctuating the approaching march to Germany-Spain are bringing atmospheres and feelings back to the playing field in this handful of hours that separate us from the decisive and definitive verdicts. "My focus is less on Yamal and more on Jamal (Musiala, ed.)," German coach Nagelsmann wryly remarked, and then continued: "There are many good approaches to defending against those who have a lot of ball possession, but we also want to have the ball ourselves: it's always more pleasant and that's also the idea for the challenge with the Spaniards. We won't be able to do that for 90 minutes maybe, there will be times when we want to attack and make life difficult for them, others when we want to defend." Also talking about Germany-Spain along with Nagelsmann is İlkay Gundogan, Manchester City's Turkish-born scooter, who is asked if this Spain side plays like his club (coached, we might as well remember, by a certain Pep Guardiola...): 'I don't think so. Rodri's role is also slightly different. You always have to adapt something, change, there are always differences between what you do in the national team and at club level. Coaches are different and have different visions of football'. For Spain selector Luis de la Fuente 'it will be an even match. It could have been the final of the European Championships, but I think it will be a balanced match at football level. Germany always starts matches in a really powerful way, so of course we will try to counter it. We will try to take the initiative and give our best from the first minute. Ironic Dani Carvajal, Real Madrid's full-back who is thinking about the German leader who has already announced (barring a change of heart...) that he will retire from playing football at the end of the tournament: "Send Kroos into retirement? We just want to beat Germany, which means Toni will retire'. And to say that just a few weeks ago they won yet another Champions League together. Go and trust your (former?) club mates.