SLOVENIA

The Euro 2024 group match is being played in Cologne. From an early stage, Slovenia was only a regional representative team until 1991, when it split from Yugoslavia to become a "country". At the beginning of the 20th Century Slovenia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. After the First World War, Slovenia joined the Kingdom of Serbia and then Yugoslavia in 1929.

The first official match as a Slovenian XI was held against France, with Jules Rimet, whose name was on the first World Cup trophy, present as Chef de Mission. The Slovenians lost comfortably, but in 1991 at their independence, they drew with Estonia 1-1 in the first official international. 

England have only previously played Slovenia in the 2010 World Cup, winning 1-0 with a goal from Jermain Defoe and they won the first match in this qualifying league, 3-1, at Wembley.

Origins and pre-independence years (1921–1991): Before Slovenia's independence in 1991, the national football team of Slovenia existed only as a regional team, not officially recognised by FIFA. On 23 June 1921, the Slovenian capital of Ljubljana hosted a match between France and a selection of players from Slovenian clubs. One of the guests at the match was acting FIFA president Jules Rimet, who later initiated the first FIFA World Cup tournament, the trophy named after him. The French team won the match 5–0 and, although the match was not official by international standards, it was, at least in Slovenia, generally accepted as the first appearance of the Slovenia national team. In the following decades, Slovenia played several unofficial friendly matches, including in 1956 against China, in 1968 against Austria, in 1990 against Bosnia and Herzegovina and in 1991 against Croatia. 

In 1992, one year after Slovenia's independence from Yugoslavia, the FA of Slovenia was admitted to UEFA and FIFA. In the same year, on 3 June, Slovenia played its first FIFA-recognised game, a friendly match against Estonia in Tallinn. The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with the first official goal for the team being scored by Igor Benedejcic. The first coach was Bojan Pranikar. On 7 April 1993, the two teams played another friendly, and this time Slovenia achieved its first international victory by winning the match 2–0.

In 1994, Slovenia debuted in official competitions as the team competed in the UEFA Euro 1996 Qualifiers. Slovenia played in Group 4 and finished in fifth place out of six teams, with eleven points. In the opening match of the qualifiers, Slovenia drew 1–1 at home against 1994 World Cup finalists Italy. In 1998 World Cup qualifications, Slovenia was drawn with Denmark, Croatia, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina, finishing in last place after registering just one point in eight matches.

The Golden generation (1998–2002) The UEFA Euro 2000 campaign. In July 1998, Slovenia finished the UEFA Euro 2000 qualifier in second place, only behind Norway. In the play-offs, Slovenia faced Ukraine. The first leg was played in Ljubljana, which Slovenia won 2–1 after trailing 1–0. The second match was played in snowy conditions in Kyiv. A 1–1 draw meant that Slovenia won 3–2 on aggregate and qualified for its first major tournament.

At Euro 2000, Slovenia were drawn into Group C, together with Spain, FR Yugoslaviaand Norway. In the first game, Slovenia played against Yugoslavia and took a 3–0 lead after one hour of play, with Zahovič scoring twice and Pavlin once. However, Yugoslavia made a comeback as they scored three goals in just six minutes for a 3–3 draw, despite playing with only ten players after Siniša Mihajlović was sent off. The second game against Spain was played in Amsterdam. Spain took a 1–0 lead with a goal by Raúl, but Slovenia equalised after one hour of play as Zahovič scored his third goal of the tournament. Just a minute later, Spain were leading again as Joseba Etxeberria scored the winning goal. In the last match of the group stage, Slovenia played against Norway and still had a chance to progress to the quarterfinals. The match finished in a goalless draw and Slovenia won its second point of the tournament, but were eliminated. Slovenian football (summary below) has grown in Europe since then.

Current	57th (20 June 2024)
Highest	15th (October–November 2010)
Lowest	134th (December 1993)
First international
Unofficial  Slovenia 0–5 France  (Ljublijana; 23 June 1921)

SCOTS v MAGYARS

 Scotland play Hungary tonight ko 8pm. Below is the history of the fixture.

v Hungary 

Games won:	3
Games drawn:	2
Games lost:	4

Date	Match	Result	Score	Competition
07 Dec 1938	Scotland v Hungary	W	3-1	International Friendly
08 Dec 1954	Scotland v Hungary	L	2-4	International Friendly
29 May 1955	Hungary v Scotland	L	3-1	International Friendly
07 May 1958	Scotland v Hungary	D	1-1	International Friendly
05 Jun 1960	Hungary v Scotland	D	3-3	International Friendly
31 May 1980	Hungary v Scotland	L	3-1	International Friendly
09 Sep 1987	Scotland v Hungary	W	2-0	International Friendly
18 Aug 2004	Scotland v Hungary	L	0-3	International Friendly
27 Mar 2018	Hungary v Scotland	W	0-1	International Friendly
23 Jun 2024	Scotland v Hungary			UEFA European Championship

• 
  

  The first meeting of the two nations: Pre-World War2 Wednesday, 7 December 1938, 3:00pm
  
  

  Scotland

  3-1

  Hungary
  
  

  International Friendly
  
  

  Referee: Harry Nattrass, Sunderland 
  
  

  23 000, Ibrox Park, Glasgow 
  1-0 (19') Tommy Walker (pen), 2-0 (26') Andy Black, 3-0 (29') Torry Gillick, 3-1 (72') György Sárosi (pen)
  A win for the Scots will help moral but will it help further involvement in the EURO24?!

THE HAND OF GOD

On June 22nd 1986, a football match between England and Argentina took place in the FIFA World Cup. This was the third World Cup meeting between the two nations and the first since the Falklands War, fought out in 1982, between the two countries. Two famous goals were scored within minutes of each other.....

Argentinian, Diego Maradona, showed the footballing World two sides of his character, when in the World Cup quarter-final in the Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, he scored two goals, one controversial to say the least! England's spearhead was made up with Peter Beardsley and Gary Lineker but the duo was snuffed out by the Argentinian defence. It was Diego that made the difference at the other end of the pitch. He seemed to scare the English defenders when ever he gained possession. Remember the English team? Shilton, Stevens G, Butcher, Fenwick, Sansom, Hoddle, Stevens, (Barnes sub), Reid (Waddle sub) Hodge, Lineker, Bearsdley. 114,580 witnessed Maradona's "Hand of God"!

Maradona's "handballed" goal stands out in memory, commonly known as the "Hand of God", he cheated England out of the competition and used the phrase to claim his innocence. 

After England's controversial third goal in 1966 World Cup Final, Diego created another, twenty years later, with what the English press called "The Hand of the Devil"!!! Can you bear to watch this!!??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UENWK7RVn64

Four minutes later, with England still recovering from that controversy, Maradona weaved himself through the English defence, leaving five English defenders in his wake and scored a miraculous solo goal, with English defenders frightened to tackle him, fearing a penalty decision.

ENGLAND v DENMARK

Yesterday, June 20th 2024, the fixture list for EURO 2024 showed Denmark playing England at 5pm. We had a Walking Football session at Penistone AFC that afternoon and the timetable was arranged to accommodate both our important activity and the big game. 

England's first international football match took place on March 8th 1873 at the Kennington Oval (yes the Cricket ground). It was against the auld enemy, Scotland, of course. Across the channel matches did not get sorted until 1908 when England went on tour to Austria, Hungary and Bohemia in June.

The first fixture between England and Denmark was played on the 9th October 1948 at Idraestparken in Copenhagen. The match, watched by 41,000 resulted in a 0-0 draw! The England team included Frank Swift, as captain in goal, Billy Wright, Stanley Matthews, Len Shackleton and Tommy Lawton. I hope you have heard of these very famous internationals? The others included L. Scott of Arsenal,  J. Aston (Man U), H. Cockburn (Man U), J. Hagan (Sheff U) and R. Langton (Blackburn R, Preston NE and Bolton W).

Below, the list of past matches between the two nations.

26 Sep 1948	Denmark v England	D	0-0	International Friendly
02 Oct 1955	Denmark v England	W	1-5	International Friendly
05 Dec 1956	England v Denmark	W	5-2	FIFA World Cup
15 May 1957	Denmark v England	W	1-4	FIFA World Cup
03 Jul 1966	Denmark v England	W	0-2	International Friendly
20 Sep 1978	Denmark v England	W	3-4	UEFA European Championship
12 Sep 1979	England v Denmark	W	1-0	UEFA European Championship
22 Sep 1982	Denmark v England	D	2-2	UEFA European Championship
21 Sep 1983	England v Denmark	L	0-1	UEFA European Championship
14 Sep 1988	England v Denmark	W	1-0	International Friendly
07 Jun 1989	Denmark v England	D	1-1	International Friendly
15 May 1990	England v Denmark	W	1-0	International Friendly
11 Jun 1992	Denmark v England	D	0-0	UEFA European Championship
09 Mar 1994	England v Denmark	W	1-0	International Friendly
15 Jun 2002	Denmark v England	W	0-3	FIFA World Cup
16 Nov 2003	England v Denmark	L	2-3	International Friendly
17 Aug 2005	Denmark v England	L	4-1	International Friendly
09 Feb 2011	Denmark v England	W	1-2	International Friendly
05 Mar 2014	England v Denmark	W	1-0	International Friendly
08 Sep 2020	Denmark v England	D	0-0	UEFA Nations League
14 Oct 2020	England v Denmark	L	0-1	UEFA Nations League
07 Jul 2021	England v Denmark	W	2-1	UEFA European Championship
20 Jun 2024	Denmark v England			UEFA European Championship

and the result was 1-1!! Thanks to Harry Kane. Not a match or result to get over excited about.
and FIFA Ranking of Denmark.

Current	21  (20 June 2024)
Highest	3 (May 1997, August 1997)
Lowest	51 (April 2017)
First international
Denmark 9–0 France B  (at London, England; 19 October 1908)
Biggest win
Denmark 17–1 France  (at London, England; 22 October 1908)
Biggest defeat
Germany 8–0 Denmark  (at Breslau, Germany; 16 May 1937)
World Cup
Appearances	6 (first in 1986)
Best result	Quarter-finals (1998)
European Championship
Appearances	10 (first in 1964)
Best result	Champions (1992)
CONMEBOL–UEFA Cup of Champions
Appearances	1 (first in 1993)
Best result	Runners-up (1993)
FIFA Confederations Cup
Appearances	1 (first in 1995)
Best result	Champions (1995)

In the first official football tournament at the 1908 Olympics, Denmark won a silver medal. Of course England have not won any Olympic medals...because the country enters the Olympics under the heading of Great Britain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain_Olympic_football_team

ALBANIA JOINS THE BIG BOYS

Today, just now, Albania scored in the 90th minute + 5 to force a 2-2 draw against "favourites" Croatia, in Group B of the UEFA European Championship. Laci put Albania ahead in 11 minutes; the lead lasted into the second half. Kramaric's made it 1-1 by 74 minutes and Gjasula own goal put the Croatians ahead two minutes later. In Gjasula helped his team recover in the final minutes with an equaliser in 90 mins + 5!! Exciting....

On June 6, 1930, the government of King Zog  issued a royal decree recognizing the establishment of the Albanian Sports Federation. The newly formed sports entity would join the world governing body, FIFA during the June Congress of 1932, officially marking Albania’s participation in international football. A revised order was issued in March of 1934, to dissolve the Federation, transferring its authority to the heads of the national entity "Vllaznija Shqiptare" (est.1928), which oversaw various sports activities at the time. The federation was one of the founding members of UEFA in 1954.

Old Logo

On 14 March 2008, FSHF were suspended by FIFA for "heavy political interference." This meant that their national teams were banned from playing official matches, representatives banned from official events, and referees unable to officiate FIFA-sanctioned matches. The ban was subsequently lifted as the political interferences were clarified, and on 27 May 2008, Albania played a friendly against Poland.

The current president of FSHF, Armand Duka, has been at this position since 2002 and won the elections for a third term in 2010.

During the 2009 controversy between FSHF and the Albanian government as to the property of the Qelma Stafa Stadium. UEFA insisted in lobbying that the stadium be given to FSHF ownership so that investments on it can be made. In February 2011 it was decided that the new stadium, which will replace the current one and will cost 60M Euro, will be 75% of FSHF and 25% of the Albanian government.

Although it never played any matches, the Albania national football team existed before the Albanian Football Federation was created on 6 June 1930. Albania joined FIFA during a congress held between 12 and 16 June. Albania was invited to play in the 1934 World Cup, but did not take part due to logistical problems. Albania played its first international match against Yugoslavia in 1946, which ended in a 3–2 home defeat. In 1946, Albania also participated for the first time in the Balkan Cup, in which Albania won by beating Romania 1–0 in the final. In 1954, Albania was one of the founding members of UEFA. Albania waited until 1962 to compete in a Euro Cup competition, and the reason being Albania got past the first leg against Greece, for political reasons forfeited the game. At the end of the tournament Albania ranked 9th in Europe. Albania participated at the 1964 Summer Olympics and closely lost both matches against Bulgaria in the preliminary round. They would participate for the second and last time at the 1962 Summer Olympics, in which they faced Romania at the European qualifiers in the playoffs. Albania would lose both matches narrowly, 2–1 in the first leg and at home in the second leg.

A 1984 Albanian stamp commemorating the UEFA Euro 1984 finals.

Albania participated for the first time in a qualifying phase of the World Cup in 1966. The team played in the Group 5, finishing in the last position with only one point from six matches. In the UEFA qualifiers 1968, Albania drew 0–0 against West Germany, denying the Germans a chance to participate in the finals. Albania did not participate in later UEFA tournaments, for "unknown" political reasons.

After six years without playing any international matches, Albania entered the 1982 World Cup, managing to finish second-to-last in the qualifying stages. For qualifying for the World Cup four years later, Albania beat Belgium in Tirana 2–0 as well as drawing Poland in Mielec 2–2.

On 17 November 2023, Albania qualified for UEFA 2024, their second major tournament. They were drawn in Group B, which is considered the "group of death" by many fans, containing three-time Euro winners Spain, two-time Euro winners and defending champions Italy, as well as Croatia, which came third in the 2022 World Cup competition. SEE ABOVE!!