International Children’s News Bureau EURO2020: Digest 2 – Budapest, Bucharest, Copenhagen
We are continuing to explore stories of the Young Journalists of F4F International Children’s News Bureau Euro 2020. This time let’s see how the championship was held in Budapest, Bucharest, and Copenhagen.
Puskas Arena in Budapest was the only one that allowed full stands. Bright matches were held there. The very first match – the meeting between the national teams of Hungary and Portugal made a huge impression on the young journalists Teo and Ella Ronaszeki, who attended the match: “Just imagine being a 12 and 14 years old kids and do see legends like Christiano Ronaldo on your home stadium”
Their colleague Anna Peter continues: “I have never been to such a big, international football match like this. I’m particularly happy that football tournaments are organized in Hungary as well by the European Football Association.
The match took place in the renovated Ferenc Puskás Stadium, which I had already seen before only from outside, and I really liked it. And the stadium was amazing inside, too. And the atmosphere of unity of football fans was just incredible. I was counting on a hard fight between the Dutch and the Czech. I trusted in Netherland’s victory. And it happened!”
Equally exciting matches were held in neighboring Romania. Children could not only watch the match and cheer for their favorite players but also practice football tricks with the EURO2020 mascot – Skillzy. And they admired the friendly atmosphere at the arena a lot. “It was incredible how fans didn’t argue in any sense, not verbally or not even by gestures. They each supported their team singing and feeling relaxed which was very nice. What was even nicer is that at some point all fans started making waves by raising their hands and making some encouraging sounds. It continued for like 3, 4 minutes. – said Young Journalist Filip Rosca after visiting the match between France and Switzerland.
The most discussed drama of the UEFA EURO2020 happened during the first match in Denmark – the captain of the team Christian Eriksen suddenly fell down on the field at the end of the first time. It was a heart attack and his teammates and the medical team literally saved his life that day. The F4F young journalist Ahmed Kamil was at the stands on that day and here’s how he describes the situation:
As F4F Young Journalist of a Children’s News Bureau, I visited the match that can really be called one of the most dramatic in the championship.
At the end of the first time, Christian Eriksen got a heart attack on the pitch. The whole team surrounded him while he was getting CPR. There were maybe 3 medical teams trying to rescue him and get him on the ambulance cart. We were told that this match got suspended and that they would inform people as soon as they can after what had happened to Cristian Eriksen.
It went on for almost 2 hours before they continued. Thank God, Simon Kjær saved his life, he made sure that Christian Eriksen didn’t swallow his tongue and laid him in the right position. This was a very sad and traumatizing episode to see. The audience acted perfectly. They chanted “Christian” and the reply from the Danes was “Eriksen”. I sat beside the man who started chanting, while he was being carried out of the field. What a feeling that ran inside my body. It wasn’t a two-team audience anymore; everybody was chanting as one “Christian Eriksen”
When the match continued the team of Finland gave an applause to their competitors from Denmark in order to respect their decision to continue playing. And honestly, the further result of the game didn’t matter. The main thing was that Christian Eriksen was alive and stable. This situation reminds us that professional sport when people work at the limits of their capability sometimes may be dangerous and how important the role of support and unity in football is.
