Euro 2024 will put football back in the spotlight and boost a continent’s self-belief

T he countdown to Euro 2024 is ticking. The qualifiers begin on 23 March with Kazakhstan against Slovenia. These will be the first international matches after the World Cup, which was attractive in sporting terms but controversial in Europe. Qatar benefits from football for its political goals. We should do the same.

The 2024 European Championship being in the heart of Europe offers the ideal opportunity to do so. Germany welcomes the continent and seeks to defend it with the common achievements that make it strong. The tournament obliges us to put football back in the spotlight. Fans want a purity and simplicity that goes back to the essentials: play, sport, fun, togetherness. One ball, one team, clear rules.

Football has been a unifying element in Europe for more than a century. It is a constant driver of equal opportunities, diversity and freedom. In times of polarisation and division in our societies, it is all the more important to strengthen this. Football provides many vivid political analogies: how does an individual behave in a group? What freedom does the game provide in the face of the imperative to conform to a tactic? How do rules shape our coexistence? If you’re talking about football, you’re talking about social sustainability. You don’t win anything on your own. Every child who plays football understands that.

That football works as a game was experienced in Qatar. The best teams had an identity. Argentina radiated joy and determination; you could tell they knew what they were running for: their teammates and their country. Appreciation comes from the respect of others and when everyone realises that their contribution is important, they fight.

For France, Olivier Giroud became a role model. In the