The UEFA European Championship 2024 will start on June 14 with 24 groups competing for the fitting to be topped champions of Europe.
Forward of the month-long event, Al Jazeera takes a have a look at a few of the high-profile gamers who’re lacking from the showpiece occasion in Germany.
Norway’s messy qualification leaves high duo stranded outdoors Euros
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard narrowly missed out on profitable the 2023-24 Premier League trophy, which was coincidentally lifted on the ultimate day of the season by his good buddy Erling Haaland’s Manchester Metropolis for a file fourth time in a row.
Whereas Odegaard and Haaland loved massively spectacular particular person performances within the Premier League – and are beloved by their golf equipment and nation – each can be pressured to sit down out the European summer time after their nation, Norway, stunningly didn’t qualify for Euro 2024.
Norway, who haven’t performed in a significant soccer event since 2000, and who, regardless of being stacked with these two celebrity gamers, completed a disappointing third of their group within the qualifying section behind Spain and Scotland, didn’t safe an computerized berth. Later, their playoff hopes have been extinguished as effectively.
Even a thumping six-goal haul by Haaland through the Euro 2024 qualifiers was not sufficient to earn Norway passage to the event, whereas Odegaard’s two-goal contribution from the midfield was evidently not sufficient to get his crew over the hump.
With a gifted squad additionally that includes Fredrik Aursnes, Oscar Bobb and Julian Ryerson, it’s truthful to say that Norway is the most important shock omission from the Euro 2024 event, and an enormous disappointment for the thousands and thousands of followers who observe this gifted pair.
Manchester United duo miss England name after poor season
Misfiring ahead Marcus Rashford was omitted of Gareth Southgate’s provisional squad for the Euros, only a yr and a half after his dynamic outing on the World Cup in Qatar.
The 26-year-old suffered a loss in kind in 2023-24, registering a paltry eight targets in 43 video games in all competitions – an enormous drop from the 30 targets he scored within the earlier season.
Rashford’s omission from the nationwide soccer squad was undoubtedly the most important shock to English followers, as he had been a well-known presence in Southgate’s squad for years.
Rashford was not the one participant in Manchester United’s underachieving 2023-24 aspect who didn’t make the England Euros squad.
Jadon Sancho’s troublesome spell at Previous Trafford within the first half of the season proved to be a deciding issue as Southgate left him out, too.
The star winger discovered his kind on his return to Borussia Dortmund on a mortgage transfer in January, serving to the German membership earn a spot within the Champions League ultimate, nevertheless it got here too late to get Sancho again within the Three Lions squad for Euro 2024.
Pogba leaves an enormous gap in France’s midfield
Along with his flashy, once-in-a-generation shows in midfield, the technically gifted Paul Pogba performed a significant function in France’s World Cup victory in 2018 however was pressured to overlook the 2022 version in Qatar resulting from accidents.
Regardless of returning to health this season, Pogba won’t play within the upcoming Euros after the Juventus midfielder was handed a four-year doping ban for testing optimistic for a banned drug.
The ban, which runs till September 2027, additionally places the French celebrity out of the subsequent World Cup in 2026, successfully ruling out Pogba from the nationwide crew till he’s within the twilight of his profession at age 34.
Pogba’s absence within the midfield can be an enormous blow for France, particularly given his confirmed observe file with the nationwide crew at main tournaments.
In Pogba’s absence, Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni will attempt to fill the massive expertise void within the French midfield.
Austria’s Alaba can be on the Euros – however not on the sector
Austria’s David Alaba was omitted of coach Ralf Rangnick’s provisional squad resulting from an harm – however there was an surprising twist to this story.
In an uncommon choice, the defender will nonetheless be on the aircraft with the remainder of the Austrian crew to Germany and can play a task at Euro 2024.
Alaba, who performed in two of Austria’s earlier Euros appearances in 2016 and 2020, has been named a “nonplaying captain” by the nationwide soccer federation after the 31-year-old harassed he needed to be with the crew on the event.
After a dialogue along with his membership Actual Madrid, Rangnick confirmed Alaba will journey with the Austrian squad, regardless of ongoing rehabilitation of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee harm.
Alaba, often known as a positive-minded, team-first participant, will proceed to play the captain’s function of squad chief and motivator at Euro 2024 – and one would now count on, he’ll additionally play the important thing function of head cheerleader from the sidelines.
Even with out Alaba on the pitch, Austria has a star-studded squad together with Marcel Sabitzer, Marko Arnautovic and Konrad Laimer because the small Alpine nation tries to qualify out of a tricky group that includes France, Poland and the Netherlands.
Unfortunate Gavi to overlook out for Spain
High-rated central midfielder Gavi, a daily for Barcelona and Spain, won’t play for La Roja on the Euros as he, too, continues to get well from an ACL harm.
The 19-year-old picked up the knee harm throughout Spain’s Euro qualifier in opposition to Georgia in November.
Ruling him out till the beginning of the 2024-25 season, Barcelona have been mentioned to be livid with Spain coach Luis de la Fuente’s choice to play Gavi in that match, as his aspect had already sealed qualification for Euro 2024 within the earlier sport.
The coach, responding to a plethora of complaints over Gavi’s workload, lamented the unlucky – some would say pointless – harm as “an accident, a misfortune”.
The younger midfielder’s absence can be enormous for Spain, although they’ve a superb mixture of youth and expertise within the squad with Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Dani Carvajal and Aymeric Laporte all able to step into the massive sneakers of Gavi.
You possibly can observe the motion on Al Jazeera’s devoted Euro 2024 event web page with all of the match build-up and dwell textual content commentary, and preserve updated with group standings and real-time match outcomes and schedules.
