Off the Pitch: Euro 2020 – Day 14

After thirteen straight days of European football in Euro 2020, national teams finally got to rest a bit as football fans did not know what to do with their lives anymore. While there was complete silence at stadiums due to the obvious reason of no games having been scheduled for yesterday, much happened off the pitch as people were both happy and outraged about so many things.

From UEFA announcing their plans to scrap the away goals rule for European tournaments come next season, to

thanking Ali Daei for his kind words on Instagram, much happened yesterday and everyone was quite active in speaking their minds about it. So let us see what else happened on day 14 of Euro 2020.

Euro 2020 – Day 14 Review

Here is everything you should know about the things that went on yesterday.

Goodbye Away Goals Rule

So many fine memories of beautiful football nights, where we got to see teams lock horns with each other and some get to be lucky enough to score a crucial away goal or two, only just qualifying for the next round. The away goals rule had been with us for so many years, but it was announced by UEFA that they will be scrapping this rule come next season.

The decision to abolish the rule came after a voting was passed, with UEFA deciding that “home teams don’t attack” enough due to this rule. This means that we will have more games go straight to extra-time and penalties if needed. Of course people are confused about how they feel about the rule being revoked, with many talking about it on Twitter, where they share videos and pictures of past games where history was made due to the away goals rule.

UEFA president Alexander Ceferin said: “The away goals rule has been an intrinsic part of UEFA competitions since it was introduced in 1965. However, the question of its abolition has been debated at various UEFA meetings over the last few years.”

He went on to explain that “Although there was no unanimity of views, many coaches, fans and other football stakeholders have questioned its fairness and have expressed a preference for the rule to be abolished.

Ceferin also added that “the impact of the rule now runs counter to its original purpose as, in fact, it now dissuades home teams – especially in first legs – from attacking, because they fear conceding a goal that would give their opponents a crucial advantage. There is also criticism of the unfairness, especially in extra time, of obliging the home team to score twice when the away team has scored.”

He then attempted to justify their decision by adding: “It is fair to say that home advantage is nowadays no longer as significant as it once was. Taking into consideration the consistency across Europe in terms of styles of play, and many different factors which have led to a decline in home advantage, the UEFA Executive Committee has taken the correct decision in adopting the view that it is no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.”

Patrice, you silly man

Patrice Evra was back at it again with yet another hilarious attempt to make people laugh by mocking something pretty particular. The Frenchman mocked his compatriot

on an Instagram post, where he put an image of the

striker wearing a rather tacky suit, with an image of a PS5 sitting under on the bottom. The former

defender tagged Grizemann himself, with the caption saying: “Guys, was I the only one missing the launch of PS5 formal wear? Antoine, call me urgently jesusss.”

Evra was previously on the news for his hilarious TikTok video, in which he wore a traditional Scottish kilt and pretended to play the bagpipes while mooning the viewers with a fake butt, with the words “I Love This Game” written on it. The video had somehow reached Sir Alex Ferguson, who then went on to jokingly threaten Evra that he would sue him over the video.

Passing the torch

Class recognizes class, which is why Cristiano Ronaldo thanked Ali Daei for his celebratory post on Instagram. The Portugal international equaled Ali Daei’s record for the most international goals scored with his two penalties against France. The former Iran international tagged Ronaldo on Instagram and posted a picture of the 36-year-old striker, with the caption saying:

“Congratulations to Cristiano Ronaldo, who is now one goal away from beating the men’s international goal scoring record. I am honored that this remarkable achievement will belong to Ronaldo – great champion of football and caring humanist who inspires and impacts lives throughout the world.”

This beautiful message of congratulations moved the Juventus striker, who replied with an Instagram story, thanking Daei for his kind words by adding: “True champions remain champions forever. I’m very proud to read such kind words from a huge idol like you. Thank you, Ali Daei.”

You’re a good man, Euro 2020

It seems that while Cristiano Ronaldo’s gesture of moving aside Coca-Cola bottles and suggesting everyone drink water only caused the soda company to lose about $4 billion,

’s gesture of putting away the Heineken beer bottle due to religious reasons actually had an impact on Euro 2020’s advertising methods.

Pogba, who is a devout Muslim, put away the Heineken beer bottle that was put in front of him during a press conference due to the fact that alcohol is “Haram” or forbidden in Islam. This gesture led to Euro 2020 officials rethinking their options as they have now decided not to place any Heineken beer bottles in front of Muslim players.

Of course Pogba is not the only one who has tried to pull something similar as Cristiano Ronaldo, with football managers and other players trying to joke around with the Coca-Cola bottles put in front of them during press conferences.

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