Si, in sport, patience is the art of hope, which England showed was rewarded early on Sunday evening when the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 in the European Cup final. Euro women’s football. Fifty-four years of waiting to win, finally, an international trophy! It was a very long wait for a country so eager for recognition and so imbued with its legitimacy to be the cradle of football.
“Returning to the fold” (Daily Express); “Leave the place guys” (Sun); “The Lionesses bring football home” (Times); ” It was not a dream. We beat Germany in a final” (Daily Mail), “The years of suffering are over” (Subway )… As the rave headlines of the English press attest the day after the victory, Lady Fortune finally did Albion fair and good justice after having anteroomed him since the 1966 World Cup won at home by the XI of the brothers Charlton facing… Germany.
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The country, which was master of the oceans and of an empire on which the sun never set, has finally triumphed over destiny. The flattering mirror of female footballers, that kingdom-to-kingdom pride and celebratory patriotism devoid of hooliganism has lifted the hearts of a nation that loves itself again after the trauma of Brexit and the pandemic.
The Queen’s Message
“You have set an example that will inspire the girls and women of today and future generations,” Queen Elizabeth II said in a message. One can imagine the emotion of the sovereign, aged 96 and in precarious health, who had given the bronze statue Jules-Rimet to captain Bobby Moore on July 30, 1966 in the same Wembley stadium. As chairman of the English FA, his grandson William represented the monarch.
Still, the explosion of clamours, banners and banners bearing the cross of Saint George at Wembley draws up a deceptive curtain. If the Euro ended in apotheosis for English football, the population is brooding.
Bruises to the soul
The kingdom is experiencing the negative effects of leaving the European Union badly. The chaotic scenes of British holidaymakers departing for the continent highlighted the new customs controls in place. The situation will not fail to worsen in the fall when London intends to question the provisions provided for in the post-Brexit protocol on Northern Ireland at the risk of creating a serious dispute with its first trading partner.
Double-digit inflation at the start of the school year, the threat of recession, the lowest growth in the G7, public debt in the elevator against a backdrop of labor shortages, low productivity and the resumption of the pandemic… : the UK is back to the worst hours of the pre-Thatcher 1970s. Repeated strikes in support of wage demands attest to this.
A paralyzed power
Added to this is the power vacuum caused by the fall of the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, and the race for his succession which is paralyzing a Conservative government which no longer even manages day-to-day business. The two candidates vying to replace Johnson, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Liz Truss, and the former great treasurer, Rishi Sunak, are multiplying the reckless promises without figures to try to persuade the 160,000 Tory militants responsible for deciding between them. The result of the postal ballot must be known on September 5.
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The football god brought England back together for a feat. But he cannot solve his innumerable problems with a wave of a magic wand.
